Tag Archives: Russia

Russia Eyes Construction of Cruise Terminal in Pionersky

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Russia Eyes Construction of Cruise Terminal in Pionersky

Within the framework of the international economic forum Sochi-2014, Russia’s FSUE Rosmorport and cruise company MSC Cruises  signed an Agreement of Intent in Sochi on September 19, 2014 to build an international sea terminal for servicing cruise and freight/passenger ships in Pionersky (Kaliningrad Region), FSUE Rosmorport said in a release.

The document was signed by Rosmorport Director General Andrei Tarasenko, Kaliningrad Region Governor Nikolai Tsukanov and President of MSC Cruises and Grandi Navi Veloci Roberto Martinoli.

The Agreement lays ground for cooperation in designing, construction and operation of the terminal the construction of which should start in 2015.

The terminal, which is expected to cost USD 240 million to build,  is expected to aid to the improvement of tourist offer in the region.

The terminal would benefit from a unique geographical position in the Baltic Sea and, is thus, believed to attract many tourists.

The Silversea incident and Russia relations

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By Tom Stieghorst
*InsightIt’s getting chancier to plan a cruise that includes a stop in Russia.

Relations between Russia and the West are turning frosty following the downing of a Malaysian Air passenger jet near the Russian border with Ukraine.

The U.S. and European Union countries have escalated sanctions on top individuals in Russia and added sanctions affecting the financial, oil and military sectors.

Now comes the news that passengers aboard a Silversea Cruises ship were denied entry at a small port in the Russian Pacific. Why they stayed on the ship remains murky.

A preponderance of the passengers on the Silver Discoverer, a small expedition ship, are from the U.S., Great Britain, Germany and Australia, and the local Siberia Times quotes a Russian tour organizer in the port of Provideniya saying that orders denying them entry “allegedly” came from Moscow.*TomStieghorst

A spokesman for the Russian security service told a Russian news website that the passengers lacked the necessary paperwork.

In a statement, Silversea said its ship had received all the necessary clearances for passage into the Chukotka area of Russia and guests and crew had been cleared by immigration, but on arrival July 28, they were denied landing by the Russian authorities.

Spokesman Brad Ball said the line was given no explanation at all.

The ship was sailing a 12-day itinerary from Seward to Nome and was scheduled to call in the Chukotka region on the final few days of the voyage. A new itinerary has been established in Alaska for the rest of the trip.

Port calls in the nearby region of Kamchatka are still being permitted.

If this is merely a regional matter, the impact is limited because relatively few cruise ships visit Pacific Russia. But other regions are more important. Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has said demand for cruises in the Black Sea the rest of this year has been “strained” by Russian’s annexation of Crimea.

Travelers considering a Baltic cruise should keep a close eye on things lest sanctions affect debarkations in St. Petersburg, the crown jewel of the cruise industry’s Baltic trade.

Cruise lines and tour ops cancel visits to Ukraine, Crimea

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By Michelle Baran

Sevastopol's Monument to Scuttled ShipsAs Russia annexed Crimea and the Ukraine government began to withdraw its military personnel from the peninsula this week, travel suppliers began cancelling visits to Ukraine and Russia, as well as to Crimean destinations.

Cruise lines have begun altering some of their Black Sea sailings to bypass previously scheduled port stops in Odessa, Sevastopol and Yalta.

Windstar, Oceania, MSC, Regent Seven Seas and Azamara have substituted port calls in alternative countries, including Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Greece.

Silversea canceled calls to the Crimean peninsula for the April 25 Black Sea sailing of the Silver Wind and for the July 21 departure of the Silver Spirit. However, should the situation in Crimea improve, the line said it would consider returning to its original itineraries.

Viking Cruises has a 12-day Footsteps of the Cossacks river cruise on the 196-passenger Viking Sineus, which sails from Kiev into the heart of the Crimean peninsula, with port stops in Sevastopol and Yalta. But its Ukraine departures begin in May, and the company has yet to decide if it will cancel any sailings.

“Though we know our passengers are paying attention to the developments on the ground, we have not yet seen significant cancellations,” Richard Marnell, Viking’s senior vice president of marketing, wrote in an email.

During a speech earlier this month at a dinner event to celebrate the christening of its latest generation of river cruise ships, Viking Cruises Chairman Torstein Hagen said that while nearly all of Viking’s river cruise capacity through the end of October was sold out, space was still available on its Ukraine sailings.

Many tour operators have already canceled either part or all of their 2014 tour itineraries that include stops in Crimea, offering affected passengers refunds or the option to rebook travel elsewhere.

Globus canceled all 2014 departures of its Ukraine and Crimea tour; Insight Vacations is no longer offering its 12-day Ukraine, Moldova and Crimea tour; and Intrepid Travel has canceled three Ukraine departures through mid-June.