According to an update shared by Scenic Cruises, the Scenic Eclipse is currently in drydock in Galveston, Texas, for the installation of a new Azipod.
The new propulsion unit will replace one that is currently inoperable, the company explained in a social media post.
Scenic added that it’s working closely with its partner ABB Group to get the work completed in time for the vessel’s next cruise.
The replacement Azipod will be delivered to Texas via a specially chartered Antonov 124 aircraft, one of the world’s largest cargo planes, the company said.
Captain James Griffiths, Scenic Group’s general manager of ocean operations; Jason Flesher, director of discovery operations; and Darko Caput, director of marine & technical operations,, are on-site to ensure all work is completed and that the Scenic Eclipse is certified for full operations.
The 2019-built vessel is scheduled to resume guest service on Nov. 27, 2024, kicking off a winter schedule of expeditions to Antarctica and South America.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming our guests on board to create memories to last a lifetime in the white continent,” Scenic said.
While secondhand sales dominated the cruise industry headlines over the past few months, the shipbuilding business has also been busy during the pandemic.
In addition to the vessels that were already set to be built in 2020, a total of 13 extra ships were also ordered in March 2020.
Here’s the complete list:
SH Diana Cruise Line: Swen Hellenic Order Date: October 2020 Shipyard: Helsinki Shipyard (Finland) Capacity: 192 guests Tonnage: 12,500 Expected Delivery: Q1 2023
Swan Hellenic was among the first cruise lines to order a cruise ship after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to its operator, the LNG-powered ship will feature private residences, in addition to features that include a microbrewery, a hydroponic garden and an art studio.
Emerald Cruises ordered a second cruise ship for its fleet in September 2021. The new Emerald Sakara is set to be delivered in 2023 and will have the capacity of 100 guests.
A sister to the 2021-built Emerald Azzurra, the super yacht is being built by the Halong shipyard in Vietnam.
The 152-guest vessel is set to enter service in 2025 and did not have its buyer revealed at the time of the order.
American Eagle and American Glory Cruise Line: American Cruise Lines Order Date: January 2022 Shipyard: Chesapeake (United States) Capacity: 109 guests each Tonnage: 3,000 each Expected Delivery: 2023
Named Project Blue, the class will include a total of 12 vessels – of which the first two are already in construction at the Chesapeake shipyard.
Ilma and Luminara Cruise Line: Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Order Date: March 2022 Shipyard: Chantiers de l’Atlantique (France) Capacity: 456 guests each Tonnage: 37,000 each Expected Delivery: 2024 and 2025
Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection ordered two additional cruise ships in March 2022, the Ilma and the Luminara. Following the Evrima, which is set to enter service soon, the vessels will be built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in France.
Designed as mega yachts, the 37,000-ton ships are set to be delivered in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
Explora V and Explora IV Cruise Line: Explora Journeys Order Date: July 2022 Shipyard: Fincantieri (Italy) Capacity: 922 guests each Tonnage: 70,000 each Expected Delivery: 2027 and 2028
On February 20 of this year, Scenic Group was subject to a cyber attack, which caused issues with guest pre-travel documentation and customer service overall. The company overcame the challenges by completely rebuilding its IT systems and is now able to provide top-tier services to its customers once again.
According to a statement by company founder Glen Moroney, the hackers who took control of Scenic’s systems demanded a ransom, and he decided to refuse to pay it and enable these criminals to continue hacking other businesses.
Yet, stronger measures had to be taken.
Despite the initial projection of a short reboot lasting up to three weeks following the attack, the company chose a total system rebuild that took more than nine weeks. They were able to keep all guest data secure and leak-free thanks to this process.
Although communication with guests and industry partners was nearly impossible, and call centre times were impacted by the incident, Scenic Group has changed dramatically since then. Since the company is still dealing with a massive backlog, they have hired additional staff to deal with the return to full operations, as well as established a dedicated support team to handle the administrative tasks for each reservation.
Moroney further noted that some regions have seen an unprecedented level of flight rescheduling and late flight cancellations – even on the day of departure, resulting in a significant volume of incoming calls to the customer contact centre.
Scenic’s pre-departure document issuance is now approaching the pre-cyber attack timeframe, and average wait times for the customer contact centre have “decreased dramatically”, Moroney commented.
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