Hurtigruten names new expedition ships

Posted on 25 October, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Hurtigruten, the Norwegian coastal and expedition cruise line, said two new ships it is building for 2018 and 2019 will be called the Roald Amundsen and the Fridtjof Nansen.

While they may not exactly trip off the tongue, the names honor the two most influential Norwegian polar pioneers from the era when the company first started offering adventure travel.

The 530-passenger ships will be designed by Rolls Royce and built by Kleven Yards in Norway.

The interior will mirror the exterior waters and landscapes, Hurtigruten said. Materials will be predominantly Norwegian and be inspired by nature using granite, oak, birch and wool, among other materials.

The ships will have large observation platforms on several decks for guests to get close to nature and wildlife. Six out of ten cabins will have balconies; two out of ten will be suites.

The vessels will have three restaurants with menus reflecting local flavors and destinations. A pool deck will include infinity pools, Jacuzzis and bars.

Hurtigruten said itineraries for the new ships will be announced in November.

Genting Hong Kong Orders Two 200,000 Ton Cruise Ships at New German Yards

Posted on 14 May, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

An illustration of Star Cruises’ Global-class cruise ship. Credit: Genting Hong Kong

Holding company Genting Hong Kong has announced plans to build two 201,000 gross ton cruise ships as part of a 10-ship order at its newly acquired shipyards in Germany.

The two mega cruise ships will be among some of the world’s largest and will be built for Genting’s Star Cruises brand and deployed in the Chinese market. The 201,000 ton vessels will be known as Global-class and will include 5,000 lower berths each.

The eight other vessels will be built for Crystal Cruises and comprise of 6 river cruise ships, an expedition yacht and an “Exclusive Class” vessel.

Delivery of the Global-class vessels is scheduled for 2019 and 2020.

The ten-ship order was placed at Lloyd Werft Group, which was formed last month with Genting’s acquisition of Nordic Yards’ three shipyards in Wismar, Warnemunde and Stralsund, Germany. Prior to the acquisition, Genting only had the Lloyd Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven. The formation makes it one of just four shipbuilding groups with the ability to build large cruise ships using the two large covered dry docks in Wismar and Warnemunde.

“We are pleased that Genting chose Lloyd Werft Group for the construction of their new vessels as the company has built all but one of its new cruise ships in Germany for the Star, Dream and NCL brands due to the company’s desire for quality-built cruise ships,” says Rüdiger Pallentin, the Managing Director of Lloyd Werft Group. “We have the ability to tap into the complex cruise ship subcontractor industry in Europe, many of whom are centered in Germany and we can build cruise ships without major uncertainties in delivery and pricing. The Lloyd Werft Group has two huge covered new building drydocks, a ship launching platform and half a million square meter of covered fabrication halls to build quality cruise ships in all weather conditions.”

The Global-class ships will be largest cruise ships ever built in Germany, even bigger than the Quantum-class ships built at Meyer Werft.

Princess’ Sun Princess could be sailing into the sunset

Posted on 9 April, 2016 by Spacejunkie2

Sun Princess

The news that Princess Cruises has ordered two new ships for delivery in 2019 and 2020 will likely mean the departure from the fleet of several older ships.

In announcing the orders at Fincantieri’s Marghera shipyard in Italy, Carnival CEO Arnold Donald made reference to the line’s measured growth strategy, which includes “replacing less efficient ships with newer, larger and more efficient vessels over a very specific period of time.”

The oldest and presumably least efficient ship in the Princess stable is the 1995-built Sun Princess, now sailing in Australia. It doesn’t seem that long ago when the Sun Princess was the biggest, freshest ship in the Princess fleet.

In 1995 Princess was still predominantly a West Coast cruise line, but it was trying to raise its profile in the Caribbean. Its Sun class ships were part of that strategy.

Of course, that was before Carnival Corp. acquired Princess. The godmother of the Sun Princess, Lady Dorothy Sterling, was the wife of Lord Jeffrey Sterling, chairman of the line’s then-owner, the Peninsular & Oriental Steam Navigation Company.

In fact, Princess was a competitor for several of Carnival’s brands until Carnival acquired the company in 2003.

The Sun Princess came along when cruise lines were first realizing the appeal and revenue power of balcony cabins. The ship’s 372 balcony cabins gave it a big advantage in the Caribbean when it first launched.

Today, at slightly less than 2,000 passengers, the Sun Princess carries 45% fewer passengers than the ships Carnival has ordered for the future.

The other ship that was christened at Port Everglades in the fall of 1995, Celebrity Cruises’ Century, has already left the fleet and is sailing for Celebrity’s joint venture with Ctrip in China.

By 2020, the Sun Princess will be 25 years old. I would look for a similar exit for it sometime in the next few years.