The first plate of steel for Norwegian Encore

Posted on 18 February, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Encore

Executives from NCL and Meyer Werft gather in Germany to cut the first plate of steel for Norwegian Encore

Yesterday Norwegian Cruise Line marked the start of construction for its newest ship, Norwegian Encore. Norwegian’s latest addition to its fleet will sail the Caribbean from Miami seasonally beginning fall 2019.

“Norwegian Encore will be the ultimate Breakaway Plus Class vessel and we are thrilled to celebrate the start of construction for this incredible new ship,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer for Norwegian Cruise Line.

“Over 50 years ago the Norwegian brand began creating unforgettable vacation moments with the first inter-island cruise in the Caribbean from Miami. We continue building on our legacy of innovation with this brand-new state-of-the-art vessel perfect for exploring the natural beauty of some of the most remarkable islands in the world.”

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and Meyer Werft executives gathered at the Meyer Werft Laser Center in Papenburg, Germany and cut the first plate of steel, marking the ceremonial start of construction of Norwegian Encore, which is due for delivery on October 31, 2019.

Norwegian Encore will be the seventeenth ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet and the line’s fourth and final ship in the Breakaway Plus Class, the most successful Class in the brand’s history.

At approximately 167,800 gross tons and accommodating 4,000 guests, Norwegian Encore will sail weekly seven-day Caribbean cruises each Sunday from Port Miami, offering guests the superior service, world-class entertainment, signature dining and onboard experiences that Norwegian Cruise Line is known for.

The ship will be available for reservations in March 2018– so not long to wait until further details emerge!

Norwegian Sun to Offer Cuba Cruises from PortMiami

Posted on 15 February, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

The Norwegian Sun is set for a short Cuba program from PortMiami

Norwegian Cruise Line put new cruises on sale to Cuba and the Caribbean aboard the Norwegian Sun round-trip from Miami, Florida.

“We are thrilled to reveal Norwegian Sun’s new fall 2018 itineraries, which will be the first time our brand has featured a call in Havana, Cuba on seven-day and longer cruises,” said Andy Stuart, president and chief executive officer for Norwegian Cruise Line. “These new itineraries offer a remarkable breadth of experiences for guests with a culturally immersive full day and evening in Havana, complemented by several visits to world-class destinations across the Caribbean and beyond.”

The Norwegian Sun will sail six new seven-day cruises from Miami departing on Sundays from September 9 through October 14.

Port calls include Havana, Cuba, Great Stirrup Cay, Norwegian’s private island in the Bahamas; Costa Maya, Mexico and Harvest Caye, Belize. The ship’s nine-day Cuba and the Caribbean cruises will expand upon her seven-day sailings and also include additional visits to Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras and Cozumel, Mexico.

There’s also a 13-day Cuba, Caribbean and Panama Canal sailing on Oct. 30, with calls in Puerto Limon, Costa Rica; Cartagena and Santa Marta, Colombia and Oranjestad, Aruba, among others.

Norwegian Cruise Line has also added a new five-day cruise to Cuba and the Bahamas from Port Canaveral on September 3. The new cruise will round out the ship’s season sailing from the Space Coast with an afternoon visit to Key West, Florida then heads to Havana for an overnight visit, followed a call in Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas.

Fincantieri Signs Agreement for 50 Percent of STX France

Posted on 3 February, 2018 by Spacejunkie2

Fincantieri today announced it has signed a share purchase agreement for the acquisition of 50 percent of the share capital of STX France from the French State, represented by the Agence des Participations de l’Etat (APE).

The agreement was valued at 59.7 million euro.

The acquisition by Fincantieri is subject to the closing of the transaction between the French State and STX Europe and to customary conditions for this kind of transaction, according to a release.

After the closing of the transaction, the shareholding structure of STX France will be the following:

– Fincantieri (Fincantieri Europe S.p.A.): 50.00% (an additional 1% will be borrowed from APE)
– French State (APE): 34.34% (of which 1% to be lent to Fincantieri)
– Naval Group: 10.00% (or 15.66% if the employee ownership plan or/and the participation of a group of local companies cannot be implemented at the same time)
– STX France employees: up to 2.40%
– Local companies: up to 3.26%