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Marella Cruises Signs with V.Ships Leisure for Ship Management

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Marella Cruises Signs with V.Ships Leisure for Ship Management

V.Ships Leisure has been awarded a ship management contract by Marella Cruises, according to a press release.

It is believed to be the largest management contract in the cruise industry.

The five-year agreement will cover the full technical, crewing, digital and ESG management of all of Marella’s five cruise ships, with operations commencing towards the end of 2025.

Adrian Hibbert, Cruise Operations Director at Marella Cruises, commented: “Throughout the tender process, we were hugely impressed by the calibre of the team at V.Ships Leisure and the depth of their industry expertise. We look forward to working together to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable operations across our fleet.”

Per Bjørnsen, CEO of V.Ships Leisure, said: “This contract is a clear endorsement of our talented team, commitment to ESG and our digital-first approach. Above all, it’s a testament to our track record and further reinforces our leadership in the cruise sector. We are extremely proud to be working with Marella Cruises and are looking forward to collaborating to achieve operational excellence.”

The first two vessels will come into management by the end of the year, with the other three joining in the first half of 2026.

As part of the new partnership, V.Ships Leisure will build upon its already strong UK presence by establishing a dedicated Marella Cruises fleet cell in the UK, operating from its Southampton office and supported by the wider V. network. The decision reflects V.’s commitment to providing Marella Cruises with local expertise backed by global scale, reach and experience, according to a press release.

V. will leverage its ShipSure platform to enable data-driven decision-making across fleet maintenance and operations, supporting more efficient and proactive management and giving Marella Cruises enhanced transparency into the operations.

Marella Cruises will benefit both from V.’s end-to-end management services and from V.ERDE, our dedicated decarbonisation and environmental compliance program.

Hays Travel has acquired Cruise.co.uk’s parent, Victoria Travel Group Limited

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Hays Travel has acquired Cruise.co.uk’s parent, Victoria Travel Group Limited

Hays has hailed the deal, which includes Victoria’s Seascanner brand and its German division, Kreuzfahrtberater.de, its largest since acquiring Thomas Cook in 2019.

Victoria Travel Group Chief Executive Chris Gardner will continue to lead the business, alongside UK Managing Director Tony Andrews, Group Chief Financial Officer Carl Tromans, and German Managing Director Tom Reiter.

Existing majority shareholder Bridgepoint will now exit the Victoria Travel Group business, which reported a total transactional value of £252 million in its most recent financial year and said reflected its strong market presence and customer loyalty in the UK and Germany.

This is Hays Travel’s first online travel agency acquisition and a significant milestone for the north east headquartered company, which has been serving customers since 1980.

The move significantly expands Hays Travel’s footprint in the global cruise market and supports the UK’s largest independent travel agent’s strategic growth ambitions in the fast-growing cruise sector, both in the UK and internationally.

Dame Irene Hays, owner and chair of Hays Travel, said: “We have been hugely impressed by the strength of the Victoria Travel Group. 

“Their innovative approach to online cruise retailing and the calibre of their management team make Victoria Travel a compelling addition to our business, which aligns with our cruise strategy and growth ambitions.
 
“We are delighted to welcome Chris, Carl, Tony and Tom to our Hays Travel group; they share our values and are all exceptional at what they do. 

“We look forward to working alongside them, exploring opportunities and learning from each other as we seek to continuously improve the choice, experience and value we offer our customers.”

Meanwhile, Gardner added: “We’re delighted to be joining the Hays Travel family. Their values, customer-first approach, and long-term vision align with ours. 

“This partnership opens up exciting opportunities to grow our brands and deliver even more value to cruise customers in the UK and internationally.”

Jonathon Woodall-Johnston, chief operating officer of Hays Travel, and Jo Rzymowska, a respected cruise industry leader and non-executive director of Hays Travel, will join the Victoria Travel Group board.

Juneau Eyes New Seasonal Tax System Aimed at Cruise Visitors

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Juneau Eyes New Seasonal Tax System Aimed at Cruise Visitors

After doubling the fees that cruise lines pay to dock in the town, Juneau is now pursuing a plan to introduce a new seasonal sales tax system.

According to KTOO, the change is aimed at capitalising on the 1.7 million cruise ship passengers that visit the town every summer.

The new structure would raise sales taxes in the summer months and lower them in the winter, according to the local news website.

After being greenlighted by the Juneau Assembly, the proposal will now be presented to residents later this month.

Assembly members want to hear from locals before deciding whether to put it on a municipal ballot scheduled for October.

Other Southeast Alaskan towns, including Ketchikan, Sitka and Skagway, already adopt seasonal taxes, KTOO said.

Residents and visitors currently pay a five per cent tax on year-round sales in Juneau, the website explained.

If voters approve the proposed seasonal tax system, consumers will instead pay a 7.5 per cent tax in the summer and a 3.5 per cent tax in the winter.

The proposal determines that the summer season starts in April and ends in September, while the winter season runs from October through March.

In June, Juneau agreed to double the fees that cruise lines pay to dock their ships at the city-owned piers.

The change was unanimously approved by the town’s assembly and applies only to large cruise vessels.

At the time, Juneau’s Visitor Industry Director, Alix Pierce, said that the change was aimed at making the dockage fees in the town more competitive with the private sector.

“We know that our rates are definitely low compared to the private docks here, and other ports in the region are also looking at their fee structure,” she explained.

While dockage fees were previously calculated using vessels’ tonnage and length figures, the new rates are based on the ships’ passenger capacities.