GPH Launches Network-Wide Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program
Global Ports Holding (GPH) has announced the launch of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program across its network of 35 global cruise ports.
According to a press release, the symbol helps people with non-visible disabilities, conditions or chronic illnesses indicate that they may need additional time, understanding or support.
Mehmet Kutman, chairman and CEO of Global Ports Holding, said: “At Global Ports Holding, we believe every guest should feel welcome at our ports. Accessibility and inclusion are an important part of the passenger experience we provide. Introducing the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower across our entire global network is another meaningful step in making our ports more welcoming and accessible for everyone.”
As part of the program, teams across the network have received dedicated training to recognize the Sunflower symbol and better understand how to support guests with a wide range of non-visible disabilities and conditions.
The Sunflower is recognized in more than 95 countries and is used by organizations across the travel, tourism, transport, retail and public sectors worldwide.
Paul White, CEO of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, added: “Following a successful pilot of the Sunflower at Nassau Cruise Port, we are thrilled at the announcement of global launch across 35 ports.
“This is an outstanding achievement by GPH, who recognizes the benefits of inclusive travel and how the Sunflower supports that. They have committed to training teams, which is an essential part of the Sunflower’s success and ensures that every passenger feels seen, valued and heard.”
Carnival and Fincantieri Celebrate 30 Years of Partnership
Carnival and Fincantieri recently celebrated three decades of collaboration between the two companies.
The partnership was highlighted during the steel-cutting ceremony for the new Carnival Destiny, which will be built at Fincantieri’s Monfalcone yard.
Carnival’s relationship with the shipbuilder started with the original Carnival Destiny, which was delivered in 1996.
“Carnival contacted us about a new ship design they had in mind, which they were calling ‘the ship of the future’,” said Maurizio Cergol, designer of the vessel.
“The Carnival Destiny certainly set a precedent at the time with its configuration, having its public spaces amidships, near the lifeboats.”
Cergol said that the design allowed for a larger number of balcony staterooms, creating a new standard for the industry.
“The market responded extremely positively to the possibility of taking cruises in a cabin where you could not only see the sea but also smell it, feel it and feel the breeze,” he continued.
Cergol said that the ship had an adequate, powerful name, as it tied together the fate of Fincantieri and Carnival.
For Fincantieri’s President Biaggio Mazzotta, the event marked both a beginning and an anniversary, highlighting the steel cutting of the new Carnival Destiny.
“With the cutting of the first metal sheet for this new vessel, this next-generation ship starts to take shape,” he said.
Mazzotta noted that the ship will be the largest in Carnival’s fleet, adding that the ceremony marked the “first spark” of a project that will accompany the shipyard for years to come.
“This is not a point of arrival but a point of departure,” he continued, noting that the project has a special meaning, taking place exactly 30 years after the delivery of the original Carnival Destiny.
“Thirty years is not just a milestone but a measure of trust that has been renewed order after order, ship after ship, in a business where decisions are made by looking at decades in the future,” Mazzotta added.
He also highlighted the human element of the collaboration between the companies, noting that “behind every hull and technological breakthrough there is the work of men and women, including designers, engineers, technicians and workers.”
“All the companies in our supply chain have made this partnership a shared heritage,” Mazzotta said, thanking all the involved parties.
“This collaboration tells the story of what Italy does best: combine tradition, innovation, craftsmanship and technology.”
Giorgio Gomiero, senior vice president of operations for Fincantieri, noted that shipbuilding is a complex business and that the partnership with Carnival allowed the yard to grow.
“Carnival was a challenge that allowed Fincantieri to reach where it is today. There were certainly a number of difficult moments,” he explained.
“Critical moments arise during the construction period,” Gomiero added, noting that the original Carnival Destiny was the largest cruise ship in the world when it debuted in 1996.
“It was the first passenger ship in the world to exceed 100,000 tons of gross tonnage. Now, in 2026, we are starting the construction of a vessel with a gross tonnage of 230,000 tons,” he continued.
“Each time there’s an evolution, not only for the shipowner, Carnival, but these projects also create the conditions to do better and raise the bar, allowing us to set new goals together.”
Having started his relationship with Carnival as Project Manager for the Carnival Breeze construction, SVP Shipyard Director Marco Lunardi said that collaboration between the cruise line and Fincantieri has allowed the yard to push boundaries.
“Carnival has been a driving force. I still remember the phrase ‘make it happen,’ which we were told time and time again when we faced challenges from the client,” he said.
“Yet this served as the incentive to push beyond those limits, and through ingenuity, flexibility and even imagination, we found solutions that allowed us to make the product we created a model of excellence,” Lunardi added.
Luigi Matarazzo, general manager of the shipyard’s merchant ships division, said that the relationship between the two companies is based on mutual trust.
He highlighted that Fincantieri built 65 ships for Carnival in the past 30 years, with a further eight currently in the pipeline.
“We’ll reach 73 but my hope is to reach 100 ships, which will further strengthen the strong bond we have,” Matarazzo added.
The Orient Express Corinthian has recently completed its first sea trials ahead of its delivery, which is scheduled for the second quarter of 2026.
As the first ship to be introduced by Orient Express Sailing Yachts, the 15,000-ton vessel is currently being built at the Chantiers de l’Atlantique Shipyard in France.
According to an update shared by the yard, the Corinthian successfully completed a series of trials of its sail propulsion systems.
Chantiers said that, solely using its sails, the ship was able to reach 12 knots in winds of 20 knots.
According to the shipyard, the speed is a first for a vessel the size of the Corinthian, which will be able to carry 108 passengers.
The 1,500-square-meter rigs rise over 100 meters and are capable of automated piloting, the yard said, allowing the ship to operate 100 percent on wind propulsion. The system can also be used to assist the ship’s LNG-powered engines.
Chantiers added that the sails have a 360-degree rotation capability, allowing for optimal sail positioning regardless of the ship’s heading or wind direction.
With a tiltable system that allows the sails to be positioned nearly horizontally, the Corinthian will also be able to easily pass under bridges.
The entire rigging has been designed, developed and manufactured in France’s Brittany and Pays de la Loire regions.
The Orient Express Corinthian is scheduled to enter service in the Mediterranean ahead of the summer of 2026. Later in the year, the vessel is set to reposition to the Caribbean for a winter season.
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