Former Jubilee To The Breakers

The Hen, previously the Henna/Pacific Sun passed through the Singapore Straits on 9th April bound for Bhavnagar in India and the scrap beaches. The once fine ship was delivered in 1986 by Kockums Varv, Malmö, Sweden, for Carnival Cruise Line as the Jubilee, along with near-sister ship Celebration. The other near-sister ship of the class, the Holiday, was built earlier by Aalborg Værft in Aalborg, Denmark. In 2004, the ship was transferred to P&O Cruises Australia and renamed Pacific Sun (above). The Pacific Sun arrived in Sydney, Australia, on 9th November 2004 and was the only one of the aforementioned trio of ships to lose her iconic funnel “wings” upon leaving Carnival Cruises. On 18th December 2011 P&O announced that the Pacific Sun would leave the fleet in July 2012 and on 13th September 2012 new owner HNA Cruises renamed the ship Henna. Her maiden voyage under Chinese ownership followed on 26th January 2013 from Sanya to Vietnam but in September 2013 the ship was detained at a port on the South Korean island of Jeju after Chinese shipping service company Jiangsu Shagang International applied for a seizure. The Henna’s owners ceased trading in November 2015, leaving the ship laid up and for sale for $35m. By 1st May the ship was beached for scrapping. The former Saga Ruby succumbed to the beaches on 12th April and the 40,171gt/1982 built Island Escape also looked set to follow having been renamed from Ocean Gala to Ocean Gala-1 and re-registered to St.Kitts and Nevis.

More Viking Ships

On 18th April Viking Ocean Cruises and Fincantieri signed a memorandum of agreement for the construction of two additional cruise ships, with an option for another two. The newbuilds will be sister ships to the six already ordered and will enter the Viking fleet in 2021 and 2022, respectively. The final contracts will become effective upon the fulfilment of financing and other customary closing conditions. The new ships will follow the same successful and award-winning design as the current 47,800gt/930 guest capacity ships, of which the Viking Star was the first, ordered and in operation. The Viking Star was delivered in Marghera in spring 2015, the Viking Sea and Viking Sky were delivered from Ancona, respectively, in early 2016 and early 2017 and the Viking Sun will arrive in late 2017, plus the fifth ship, Viking Spirit, in 2018. A sixth, yet-tobe- named ship will be delivered in 2019.

Ncl Returns To The U.K & Newbuild Heads Overseas

On 14th May the 93,558gt/2006 built Norwegian Jade (and NCL) made a welcome return to the U.K. cruise market following a repositioning cruise from the Caribbean (above). The ship had received a three week makeover in March, returning to her then homeport of Tampa on 30th March, as part of the fleet-wide Norwegian Edge investment programme.

The 167,725gt Norwegian Joy, NCL’s 15th newbuild, was delivered on 27th April by Meyer Werft during an on board ceremony in Bremerhaven, Germany. The 3,883 guest capacity ship is the second in the line’s Breakaway-Plus class and features an innovative design with amenities tailored to provide a “First Class at Sea” experience for Chinese guests with the elements of freedom and flexibility that Norwegian Cruise Line has become known for across the globe. In advance of the delivery, David Herrera and executives from Norwegian’s offices in China gathered for a traditional blessing from the Chinese Goddess of the Sea, Mazu, to ask for safe and pleasant voyages for the ship and all its guests who set sail. The ceremony was at the Mazu Temple in Shanghai where, one year ago, the Norwegian team held a ceremony to obtain a blessing for the coins that were used in Norwegian Joy’s Keel laying ceremony, signifying the start of construction in April 2016.

Another Delivery For Aida

AIDA Cruises’ AIDAperla’s godmother will be German model and presenter Lena Gercke. She will christen the company’s twelfth ship in Palma de Mallorca on 30th June. The celebratory christening cruise will sail from 24th June to 1st July. The new ship’s Captain will be 36 year old Boris Becker, but not the tennis player! Boris Becker has already successfully commissioned several new vessels, including the AIDAluna and AIDAblu.

A Muse-Ing Ceremony

On 19th April Silversea’s brand new Silver Muse was named at Port Hercule in the heart of Monaco. The Silver Muse, the ninth ship in the Silversea fleet, caters to the most discerning passengers at sea, offering the highest expression of elegance and comfort while aiming to redefine the ultra-luxury cruising experience.

New Adventure For CMV

Cruise & Maritime Voyages (CMV) took delivery of its new flagship, the 63,786gt/1989 built Columbus, in Singapore on 12th April 2017. The ship previously sailed as the Pacific Pearl for P&O Cruises Australia. More than 300 crew members and 100 specialist outfitters joined Columbus at Sembcorp Marine Shipyard, where she underwent re-classification and provisioning works. After departing Singapore on 19th April, the vessel embarked on a ballast voyage via the Suez Canal to the Damen Shipyard in Rotterdam. Refurbishment works continued during the journey and were completed at the shipyard. The Columbus flies the Bahamian flag and arrived in Tilbury on 5th June ahead of her naming ceremony.

Cunard Remastering Part 2

The 90,049gt/2007 built Queen Victoria returned to Southampton on 5th May after her world cruise adventure. As soon as her passengers had disembarked the ship was underway again for Palermo, Italy, to undergo her $40 million remastering. Scheduled for completion when the ship returns to Southampton on 4th June, some of the highlights include a new look Lido Sun Deck for sun seekers as well as a stunning Winter Garden plus 43 new Britannia Club Staterooms, a Britannia Club Restaurant and five new luxurious Penthouse Suites. Sadly these additions spell the end of the ship’s tiered stern as her profile will match that of the Queen Elizabeth upon completion. Upon return to her home port the ship will embark upon her maiden four night voyage, visiting Amsterdam and Zeebrugge (Bruges), before returning to Southampton.

Cuban Empress

Royal Caribbean Cruises’ refurbished 48,563gt/1990 built Empress of the Seas (above) made history for her owners on 23rd April when the ship made her inaugural visit to Cuba and Havana.

The 168,666gt/2016 built Ovation of the Seas departed dry dock earlier than scheduled on 2nd May after repairs to one of her propulsion pods. She had arrived at the Cosco Shipyard in Zhoushan on 28th April. The ship’s cruises on 26th/30th April from Tianjin were both cancelled with itineraries resuming on 4th May.

On 27th April Royal Caribbean unveiled future plans for the first Quantum Ultra-class ship to be based in the Asia-Pacific region. Set to be launched in Spring 2019, the as yet unnamed ship will be the next evolution of the Quantum Class and will join her sister ships, Quantum of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas. The announcement was made as Royal Caribbean unveiled its full roster of 2018-19 China, Singapore and Australia itineraries. As part of the deployment plans for 2018-19, the Mariner of the Seas will reposition to a new home in Miami, Florida whilst the 138,194gt/ 1999 built Voyager of the Seas will have her first full season in Singapore in 2018-19. During the winter, the Ovation of the Seas will reposition to Sydney for her longest season in Australia, reclaiming the title as the largest ship based in the region. Overall the company will reduce its 2018/19 deployment in Australia due to capacity constraints at Sydney, basing three there, down from five ships this season. Royal Caribbean said it was only able to secure enough berths in Sydney for two ships during January and February 2018, and three ships in the shoulder seasons. Asia is the benefactor of Sydney’s infrastructure debacle and the 90,910gt/ 2001 built Radiance of the Seas will also bypass Sydney to offer her first turnaround from Melbourne plus three from Auckland.

Mein Schiff 6 Delivered

Meyer Turku and German TUI Cruises celebrated the delivery on 9th May of the 99,500gt, 295m long, 36m beam and 2,794 passenger capacity Mein Schiff 6, the fourth in a series of ships built in Turku for TUI Cruises. With an order book reaching until 2024, Meyer Turku shipyard is facing a gradual increase in production over the coming years.