AIDA Cruises’ new 124,500gt AIDAprima has been further delayed having already been 6 months late. The 3,300 passenger ship was originally scheduled to launch in March 2015, but in April 2014 it was revealed that the ship would not be completed until September 2015. AIDA Cruises has now confirmed that the AIDAprima, the first German (and probably last) cruise ship to be constructed in Japan, which is currently being built at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Shipyard in Nagasaki, Japan, will be further delayed by another seven months, taking her to over a year beyond the original completion date. The delay will of course affect the maiden voyages from Yokohama to Dubai and Hamburg, as the ship will not be completed until April 2016. This debacle begs the question as to whether or not her sister ship, the AIDAmia, originally scheduled for completion in 2016, will ever be on time or even delivered. The contract penalties for the delays will be enormous.

Carnival Corporation announced plans to build a second, all-new €30 million cruise terminal in Barcelona in July 2015. Plans have been approved by the Port Authority of Barcelona and construction will begin in 2016, with an estimated completion date of 2018. At 11,500sqm, the new terminal will be one of the largest cruise facilities in Europe and will mainly handle ships from the P&O, Cunard and Princess Cruises fleet.

Hebridean Cruises’ 2,112gt/1964 built Hebridean Princess became the first cruise ship ever to call at the port of Teignmouth, Devon, on 23rd July marking a milestone in the port’s history. The passengers were welcomed by the town officials before embarking on a day trip around Teignmouth, which included a visit to Compton Castle. 

MSC Cruises was declared the number one cruise line in Europe on 17th July. The company has dominated the leading rank in the industry thanks to a deployed capacity across the Continent of approx. 1.1 million passengers. 

Viking Ocean Cruises’ 47,842gt Viking Star was stranded in Tallinn, Estonia (above) in early August after developing a mechanical problem. Electrical issues affecting a main switchboard and electric transformers in one part of the propulsion system caused the ship to sail at slow speed to Tallinn where she was expected to remain until 4th August. The affected 14-night Viking Homelands cruise from Stockholm to Bergen was cancelled, and, once repaired, the ship was to sail direct to Bergen, ready for the next cruise beginning 8th August. In the event the ship sailed from Tallinn on 7th August direct to Copenhagen.