Another Veteran To Meet Her End

On 2nd March came the news via Social Media that the much loved 24,492gt/1973 built Saga Ruby (above) looks set to be sold for demolition on the beaches of Alang. After withdrawal by Saga Cruises the ship disappeared off the radar following sale in 2014. She was renamed Oasia before leaving Gibraltar for an intended use as a hotel ship. However, little or nothing has been done to the ship since and she languished in Sattahip, Thailand, at a Naval base. Work on board had apparently ceased some time ago despite the owner spending an estimated $10m on upgrades having purchased her for over $10m in the first instance. Her intended destination as a hotel ship was believed to have been Myanmar. An attempt to buy the ship and bring her back to northern Europe was prevented by an unrealistic price tag so scrapping looked to be her ultimate fate. Whilst still seemingly SOLAS compliant, her hull and machinery were not up to requirements to ever allow her to ply her trade again. The ship was the last cruise liner to be built in the U.K when launched as the Vistafjord at Swan Hunter on the Tyne in 1973 for Norwegian America Line. The ship passed to Cunard ownership in 1983 and was renamed Caronia in 1999 prior to onward sale to Saga Cruises. The ship’s fate was updated on 5th March revealing that she was underway using her own engines from Sattahip bound for Bangkok. She had been reflagged to St. Kitts & Nevis, a registry commonly used for ships on their final voyage to the scrap beaches.

Made In Finland

TUI Cruises and Meyer Turku shipyard have jointly designed the New Mein Schiff 1 & 2 to be an evolution of the Mein Schiff 6. On 13th February the construction of these ships entered the next stage. The keel laying of the New Mein Schiff 1 and the start of production of the New Mein Schiff 2 were celebrated by invited guests, Meyer Turku employees, the CEO of TUI Cruises Wybcke Meier and the CEO of Meyer Turku Jan Meyer.

At the time of the event the Mein Schiff 6 was being completed for delivery at the outfitting key. The New Mein Schiff 1 & 2 (with the prefix “ New” to distinguish them from the present Mein Schiff 1 & 2) will be around 315m long compared to the 295m of Mein Schiff 3-6. This lengthening allows for a substantial redesign giving the ships several new features and interesting spaces for guests to enjoy. Both ships will be 111,500gt with accommodation for 2,894 passengers. With the next generation Mein Schiff 1 and Mein Schiff 2 the ratio of space per passenger will stay the same as the previous ships at a generous 40sqm. Meyer Turku will deliver the New Mein Schiff 1 in spring 2018 and the New Mein Schiff 2 in 2019.

Made In Italy

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings announced on 16th February that it had awarded Fincantieri a contract for the construction of 4 new generation cruise ships with an option for an additional 2, for the Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) brand. The value of each ship is approximately €800 million, with one delivery per year from 2022 to 2025, stretching to 2027 in the case of confirmation of the option. Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) and Sace, together with a pool of export credit lenders, have played a crucial role for the success of the order and the ship owner’s decision, giving Fincantieri the chance to offer an appealing technical, commercial and financial package, still subject to some conditions NCL has also revealed that the fourth Breakaway-Plus class vessel will be designed as a sister ship to the Norwegian Joy.

The 93,530gt/2006 built Norwegian Pearl returned to Miami in late February with refreshed staterooms and upgraded public spaces. After a two-week dry dock, the ship became the latest Norwegian Cruise Line vessel to be renovated under The Norwegian Edge investment programme.

The 91,740gt/2001 built Norwegian Star again suffered a propulsion failure on 9th February and had to return to Melbourne. Five days later she departed on sea trials prior to proceeding directly to Auckland to resume her cruise schedule.

Made In Germany

Meyer Werft of Papenburg cut the steel for Germany’s AIDA Cruises’ first LNG-powered cruise ship at its shipyard on 21st February. AIDA president Felix Eichhorn marked the start of the construction phase during an official ceremony, pressing the button of the computer-controlled combustion engine that machines the steel plates. He was joined by Meyer Werft’s director Bernard Meyer and managing partner Tim Meyer. To be delivered at the end of 2018, AIDA’s newbuild will be the world’s first cruise ship that can fully operate on LNG fuel and will be joined by a sister in 2021. Designed to be as environmentally friendly as possible, the 183,900gt vessels will be powered by LNG engines from Caterpillar/MaK. They will also be equipped with electro-motors, LED lighting, an automation system, a heat recovery system, optimised underwater coatings to reduce water resistance and more.

Made In China

On 22nd February, Fincantieri, China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and Carnival Corporation & plc signed a binding Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for the construction of two cruise ships, with an option for an additional 4, the first units of their kind ever built in China for the Chinese market. The parties signed the MoA on behalf of the joint venture between Fincantieri and CSSC Cruise Technology Development Co., Ltd. (CCTD), of the joint venture between Carnival Corporation and CSSC, and of the shipyard Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (SWS).

The agreement, subject to several conditions and of an approximate value of $1.5 billion for the first two ships, updates the terms announced on 23rd September 2016 between the parties, CIC Capital, CCTD and SWS, aimed at developing and supporting the growth of the Chinese cruise industry. The first delivery is expected in 2023.

Joy-Ful Reveal

On the morning of 4th March the latest 168,800gt Breakaway Plus Class ship, the Norwegian Joy, was floated out at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg yard (above). The latest NCL newbuild is the company’s first cruise ship custom designed for China. The 3,850 passenger capacity vessel, with her distinctive hull artwork designed by Chinese artist Tan Ping, departed building dock II stern first. To be delivered on 27th April in time for Summer 2017, the ship will homeport in Shanghai and Beijing (Tianjin) to convey NCL’s Line’s “First Class at Sea” experiences.

UK Homeport For Thomson Cruises

On 6th March Thomson Cruises announced its summer 2018 programme which features the TUI Discovery based out of the UK for the first time, as well as the addition of 15 new ports of call, including Monaco, Ancona and Skiathos Town, and 12 brand new itineraries. The 69,472gt/1996 built TUI Discovery will be based in Newcastle from May 2018 before moving to Southampton in September 2018. The 33,933gt/1984 built Thomson Celebration will move to Dubrovnik for summer 2018 where she will operate an adults-only programme, which includes a no-sea day itinerary. The new 69,472gt/1995 built TUI Discovery 2 will sail four itineraries in the Eastern Mediterranean from Corfu and the 54,763gt/1986 built Thomson Dream will be based in Palma, Majorca.