Ponant Fleet News

Ponant Cruises’ first polar exploration vessel, Le Commandant Charcot, had her traditional steel cutting ceremony on 6th November. The ship will bear the name of a great French explorer with a true passion for sailing and an emblematic figure of French polar expeditions. Scheduled for delivery in 2020, the Vard Shipyard in Tulcea, Romania, (a subsidiary of Fincantieri) is building the LNG powered and PC2 Polar Class certified ship. Ponant also announced in November that it had teamed up with Chantiers de l’Atlantique to test out the innovative Solid Sail system on the cruise operator’s sailing vessel Le Ponant. Introduced as part of the sailing cruise-vessel project Silenseas, launched two years ago by Chantiers de l’Atlantique, the revolutionary Solid Sail concept has been tested on the 1,189gt/1991 built Le Ponant since 31st October. Two patents were filed in 2009 and 2017 for the new type of sail, made of fibreglass, carbon and epoxy-resin panels in a carbon-slat frame. This new technology will significantly reduce energy consumption tied to propulsion, and thus considerably reduce the environmental impact. These solid sails on the three-masted vessel have a total surface area of more than 300 m2. On 14th November came the news that the 20th November sailing of Le Soléal had been cancelled to assess damage and carry out any necessary repairs to the ship. On that day the vessel suffered a technical incident, while under the control of a Chilean pilot, as she sailed through the Kirke Passage in Chile, and one of her propellers was damaged. The 10,992gt/2013 built ship made her way, unaided, to Puerto Natales for assessment and repair with only the one departure from Ushuaia on 20th November being cancelled at the time of writing. The ship was due back in service on 30th November at Ushuaia.

Celebrity Reception

The game-changing 130,818gt/2018 built Celebrity Edge arrived at her new home, Port Everglades’ Terminal 25 (T25) in Fort Lauderdale on 19th November with Captain Costas at the helm following her first 15 day transatlantic crossing from St. Nazaire, her birthplace. Lining the decks as the Celebrity Edge entered the approach channel for the first time were more than 1,400 excited crewmembers (above). After the arrival, T25 was officially opened. The Celebrity Edge had embarked upon her more than 4,000 mile transatlantic voyage from the Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard on 4th November and made a technical stop in the Azores on 7th November. The new ship began her inaugural season sailing alternating seven-night eastern and western Caribbean cruise itineraries on 9th December and in spring 2019, the Celebrity Edge crosses the Atlantic again to offer Mediterranean voyages. Sister vessel Celebrity Apex will arrive at Southampton for the 2020 season and she will be joined by the ex-refit 122,210gt/2011 built Celebrity Silhouette, fresh from her Celebrity Revolution overhaul. The Celebrity Edge will also join her sister, the ‘Apex, in the Mediterranean that year.

Winds of Change

Fincantieri signed a contract with Windstar Cruises (part of the Xanterra Travel Collection) on 15th November for an impressive enlargement and modernisation project involving three ships from the Windstar fleet, worth over €200 million, and which is expected to be partially financed through an export credit facility guaranteed by SACE, Italy’s export credit agency. The project involves the 9,975gt/1989 built Star Breeze, 9,961gt/1992 built Star Legend and 9,975gt/1988 built Star Pride and will be carried out entirely at Fincantieri’s Palermo Shipyard. The works will start in spring of 2019, with the construction of the first 26m long mid-body section, and are scheduled for completion by November 2020, with the delivery of the third and final unit. The work will require an average of four months per ship at the shipyard. The venture has been dubbed the Star Plus Initiative and will involve three main activity areas, lengthening each ship by 26 metres, the total renewal of nearly all the propulsion machinery including main engines, replacement of electrical generators and automation systems and other equipment, and extensive modernisation of public areas, passenger cabins and open decks. The sections inserted into each ship will increase capacity by 47% (50 cabins) plus 19 additional cabins for staff and crew, two new restaurants and additional space to be used as promenade deck. The completed ships will emerge at approximately 160m in length (from 134m) with a gross tonnage of 13,000gt and a guest capacity of 312 (from 212). The trio of vessels will visit Palermo in October 2019-November 2020.

Emissions Case

In a first of its kind ruling in France, the Master of P&O Cruises’ Azura, Captain Evans Hoyt, has been fined €100,000 for “knowingly burning bunker fuel with a sulphur content exceeding European Union limits.” However, parent company Carnival was ordered to pay €80,000 of the fine. Three local environmental organisations were also awarded €5,000 each in damages. The Azura reportedly bunkered fuel oil in Barcelona during May 2018 that was then targeted by authorities in Marseille and found to contain 1.68% sulphur, in excess of the permitted 1.5% EU limit. Despite the rejection of its defence case by the prosecution for being “too vague”, reports suggest that Carnival Group will lodge an appeal concentrating on the fact that the 2012 European Sulphur Directive enacted into French law only applies to passenger ships such as ferries that provide regular services to or from EU ports, not visiting ships.

No.3 for Sea Cloud

On 21st November Sea Cloud Cruises of Hamburg announced that it was expanding its fleet in 2020 with the arrival of the 138m long/17.20m beam and 5.65m draught Sea Cloud Spirit. She will have a main mast height of 57.70m, 27 sails, a crew of 85 and a total sail area of 4,000m2. There will be 69 staterooms for 136 guests with accommodation spread over 5 decks. The ship will also be equipped with two 1,700kW engines (1 hybrid & one diesel-electric). The new ship has been ordered from Metalships & Docks S.A.U. in Vigo, Spain, using the incomplete hull of the former construction project Sea Cloud Hussar. For the first time on a sailing ship, the Sea Cloud Spirit will also have a passenger lift connecting the various decks. Like her sister ships, the newbuild sports clear, classic lines and high-quality furnishings. Some 25 of the 69 outside cabins will be equipped with balconies, including the three owner suites. There is also a spacious wellness area (Finnish sauna, a steam bath, and a hairdressing salon) plus a separate fitness area located on the sundeck.

Seaside, Seaside, bring on the Seashore

On 26th November MSC Cruises, the world’s largest privately owned cruise company, and Fincantieri cut the first steel of the MSC Seashore, the first of two MSC Cruises Seaside EVO ships currently on order from the Shipbuilder. At a ceremony held at the Monfalcone shipyard in Italy, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman Pierfrancesco Vago and Fincantieri’s Chief Executive Officer Giuseppe Bono launched the cutting of the first steel of this new ship. Coming into service in Spring 2021, the 169,400gt MSC Seashore will be the first of her kind, further enriching MSC Cruises’ Seaside Class of ships with new cutting edge features including, an additional lounge aft, a further enhanced MSC Yacht Club covering three forward decks, specialty restaurants at the level of the Deck 8 promenade for dining al fresco whilst being close to the sea, a larger number of whirlpools across the ship, and 200 additional cabins as well as even more generous public spaces. Moreover, the Seaside EVO ships will be equipped with the latest advanced environmental technology, including a selective catalytic reduction system, exhaust gas cleaning technology, state-of-the-art waste management and recycling systems, advanced water treatment systems and an advanced energy and heat recovery system, as well as other technology and measures to further increase energy efficiency. The MSC Seashore is the seventh ship to be built under MSC’s development plan and will become the 19th ship that MSC Cruises has built since its inception in 2003. Additionally, the service debut of the first Seaside EVO ship will take innovation in cruise ship building to yet another level, much like how the introduction of the original Seaside prototype has set a new standard for the industry to follow. In addition to offering even more space, the 21.8 knot/1,648 crew capacity Seaside EVO ships will be larger in size (339m long/41m beam/74m air draught) and have capacity for 5,632 guests. The MSC Seashore will be joined 18 months later by a second such ship in autumn 2022.

Encore for NCL

Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, staged the keel laying ceremony for the 169,000gt and 4,000 guest capacity Norwegian Encore on 28th November. Following the construction milestone and maritime tradition of embedding a “commemorative coin” within the keel blocks of the ship, attendees were treated to an unexpected presentation. Four performers appeared in extravagant costume with the lead singer in the show’s iconic boots, providing a surprise performance from “Kinky Boots,” confirming the Tony Award®-winning musical as the headlining act on Norwegian Encore. The ship will debut on Eastern Caribbean cruises from 17th November 2019 with features including an upgraded and enlarged race track (complete with covered viewing area in the centre of the track where guests can provide passing go-karts with an additional turbo boost by tagging them with a laser beam), the Galaxy Pavilion (a virtual reality complex), an Aqua Park and a Laser Tag Arena.

Nieuw-Build Delivered

On 29th November Holland America Line’s latest Pinnacle Class ship, the 99,902gt built Nieuw Statendam (above), was delivered at the Fincantieri Marghera (Venice) shipyard. The ceremony was attended for Carnival Corporation by Micky Arison, Chairman, and Arnold Donald, President and CEO, together with Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Group and Orlando Ashford, President of Holland America Line, while for Fincantieri, Giampiero Massolo, Chairman, and Giuseppe Bono, CEO. The new vessel, the sixteenth ship built by Fincantieri for Holland America Line, is the second of her class after the 99,836gt/2016 built Koningsdam and Fincantieri will also build a third unit of the series at the same yard with delivery scheduled in 2021. The Nieuw Statendam undertook her first voyage on 5th December, departing Civitavecchia for Fort Lauderdale, arriving on 19th December, before spending a season in the Caribbean then returning to Europe for Mediterranean and Norway itineraries in summer 2019.

New Venture

On 30th November Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic officially launched the newest addition to their fleet, the 2,906gt National Geographic Venture, at a dockside christening ceremony in San Francisco Bay. The occasion marked a major milestone for the line as being only the second newbuild in the company’s history. Following the ceremony, the 50 cabin ship embarked on a two night VIP mini expedition that included travel agency partners, affinity/charter partners, media and other special guests. Sven Lindblad, CEO of Lindblad Expeditions, presided over the christening ceremony, joined by Gary Knell, Chairman of National Geographic Partners, and the ship’s captain, Andrew Cook. Pamela Fingleton, 40 year Lindblad veteran and senior vice president, joined the CEO on the bow for the traditional toast and breaking of the champagne bottle.

Re-inventing Mardis Gras

Carnival Cruise Line reaffirmed its place as the leader of innovation in the U.S cruise industry on 15th November when the first steel was cut for the line’s newest class of ship, plus the new livery was also revealed for the 180,000gt XL vessel that will be the first-ever cruise ship operating in North America to use LNG. The traditional steel-cutting ceremony held at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Turku, Finland, signified the official start of construction of the largest Carnival cruise ship ever built, to be delivered in 2020. A second XL ship will start construction in 2020 and for delivery in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Carnival Cruise Line’s founding. At the ceremony, the company also revealed a new red, white and blue hull and paint design that celebrates its legacy as America’s Cruise Line and pays homage to maritime tradition (above). Developed by New York-based Bluarch Architecture, the design builds upon the company’s iconic colour scheme that has made Carnival one of the most recognisable brands in travel. As previously announced, the ship will operate from Port Canaveral, Florida, and, on 6th December, the ship’s name was revealed as the Mardi Gras, bringing back to the fleet the name of the first Carnival Cruise Line ship that entered service in 1972.

Meanwhile, when the Carnival Panorama debuts in December 2019 she will offer the first-ever indoor trampoline park and challenge zone at sea, in partnership with industry leader, Sky Zone. Located on Decks 7 and 8, the expansive facility provides high-flying fun for guests of all ages across a 12-lane trampoline court. Adjacent to the trampoline court will be a challenge zone equipped with a climbing wall, balance/jousting beam, Sky Ladder climbing apparatus and Tug of War. The 133,500gt, 323m long and 6,500 passenger (and crew) capacity Carnival Panorama was launched (floated out) at Fincantieri’s Marghera Shipyard on 6th December. Fitting out continues and delivery will follow in autumn 2019. Carnival Cruises will operate the 101,705gt/2000 built Carnival Radiance (built as Carnival Victory) in the European scene for a time in 2020 after she completes her $200 million dry docking in Cadiz. The ship will debut on 29th April 2020 with a 10-day Mediterranean sailing from Barcelona followed by nine-and 12-day cruise itineraries. The ship will then embark on a 13 day trans-Atlantic crossing from Barcelona to New York from 11th to 24th June 2020, positioning the vessel for her inaugural season in the Big Apple. The 85,942gt/2002 built Carnival Legend will also offer a comprehensive European schedule in summer 2020 from 19th June to 30th October with UK calls including Dover plus Norway and the Mediterranean. The company kicked off its 2019 West Coast expansion plans on New Year’s Day to be followed by a year-long celebration of its first new ship to homeport in California in 20 years, the 133,566gt newbuild Carnival Panorama, which will arrive in December 2019. The ship will depart on her debut 3-night cruise on 11th December 2019 followed by the start of year-round, seven-day Mexican Riviera cruises on 14th December. The ship joins the 70,367gt/1995 built Carnival Imagination and 70,367gt/1996 built Carnival Inspiration.