ABP announced on 22nd October a £12 million investment package to support further growth in the cruise sector beginning on 8th November at the Port of Southampton. The Ocean Terminal is being upgraded to accommodate the growing demand from cruise lines for ever larger ships and the facility will be closed until March 2019. The project, being carried out in partnership with Southampton-based Carnival UK, will enable P&O Cruises’ newest flagship to home port in Southampton from Spring 2020. The Iona will be the next generation of P&O Cruises ships, and is the first British cruise ship to be powered by LNG. She is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg and will be launched in May 2020. The work at Ocean Terminal will increase the passenger capacity by 50% to cope with ships carrying up to 5,200 passengers. Along with infrastructure improvements to the quayside and within the terminal itself, the existing 2,000 roof-mounted solar panel facility will also be expanded. The Port of Southampton currently welcomes over 2 million passengers each year on more than 500 cruise calls. Each visit to the port generates around £2 million for the local economy.

AIDA Cruises’ 183,200gt AIDAnova, the world’s first cruise ship to be powered solely by LNG, will be delayed according to her German shipbuilder, Meyer Werft. The complexity of the ship’s systems requires additional time for tests. The vessel’s conveyance from Papenburg to Eemshaven commenced on 8th October and a successful bunkering of the AIDAnova with LNG followed. The 337m long, 42m beam and 6,600 passenger capacity ship was scheduled for delivery to Aida Cruises in November, and was due to visit Hamburg in December, after which she was scheduled to start her maiden cruises in Gran Canaria. At the time of writing no revised delivery date had been announced. The situation with the AIDA newbuild was compounded by a fire aboard the ship on 24th October whilst moored at Eemshaven. The police started an investigation into the cause of the fire, at the request of the Captain, as arson was suspected. The ship remained in port during the investigation so a planned 6-day period of sea trials was postponed. Due to the fire, Meyer Werft decided to relocate staff to local hotels.

American Cruise Line’s American Song marked a new era for ACL when she entered service in October from New Orleans as the first in a series of at least five new modern riverboats. The newbuild will stay on the Mississippi through to the New Year and then head for the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The following two ships in the series are scheduled to be deployed on the Mississippi services. This new series of vessels feature a glass atrium, more modern amenities, balcony staterooms for all guests and new propulsion technology enables faster and more comfortable sailing. A telescopic bow ramp also simplifies disembarkation.

Celebrity Cruises is to double capacity in Australia following the announcement that the company will be deploying the 121,878gt/2010 built Celebrity Eclipse to Melbourne for the 2020/21 season as from 23rd December 2020. The 2,850 passenger capacity ship will arrive at her new base fresh from a multi-million-pound refurbishment. The 2020/2021 deployments will see the Celebrity Eclipse joined by sister Celebrity Solstice in Australia, the Celebrity Constellation and Millennium will serve the Asia market and the Celebrity Silhouette will go to South America after a refit.

The 90,940gt/2002 built Celebrity Constellation got into a spot of bother on 29th October at La Spezia, Italy, during a sudden squall. She broke free from her moorings during a call prompted by the same bad weather. The 102,784gt/2004 built Costa Magica was moored close to the ‘Constellation and, as the drifting ship was brought back under control, her stern made contact with the bow of the Costa ship. There was no major damage, no injuries and the Celebrity Constellation sailed later that day as scheduled.

CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping announced at the beginning of November an agreement to purchase two existing ships from Carnival Corporation’s Costa Group. The first of these ships, the 85,619gt/200 built and 2,210-passenger capacity Costa Atlantica, is scheduled to be transferred to the new Chinese cruise line by the end of 2019. The new operator is part of a joint venture between China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and Carnival Corporation. The Costa Atlantica’s sister ship, the 85,613gt/2003 built and 2,114 passenger capacity Costa Mediterranea, will be transferred at a date still to be confirmed, but expected to be in late 2020. The new China based cruise company plans to operate its own fleet to serve Chinese cruise guests by the end of 2019.

Crystal Cruises’ 68,870gt/2003 built Crystal Serenity (above) departed from the Lloyd-Werft shipyard in Bremerhaven on 5th November following her extensive refit. She was bound for Lisbon to embark passengers for a repositioning voyage to Florida for the winter that set sail on 10th November. The ship had arrived at Lloyd Werft’s Kaiserdock II on 18th October 18th. The interior refurbishment was carried out by Crystal Cruises and its partner companies whilst Lloyd Werft was responsible for the necessary shipbuilding work and for all the logistical requirements of the entire project. Alongside routine ship operational maintenance work, the cruise liner, which can currently accommodate 1,080 passengers, also received new cabins. Some of the smaller cabins on Deck 10 were converted into luxury Seabreeze penthouse suites with verandas and butler service. A total of 38 new suites were created ranging in area from 37m2 to 50m2. Fleet mate Crystal Symphony (51,044gt/1995) visited the yard for a major refit in 2017.

Cunard Line’s 149,215gt/2003 built Queen Mary 2 met the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth during the carrier’s first visit to the U.S.A on 25th October. The rendezvous between these vessels celebrated the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom and their committed alliance. After saluting the aircraft carrier, the Queen Mary 2 sailed out to sea to begin a seven-night trans-Atlantic Crossing to England. The HMS Queen Elizabeth spent the preceding weeks conducting her first trials with the F-35B Lightning II fighter jets onboard and when she departed New York, the 65,000gt ship headed down the East Coast to conduct the second phase of developmental trials.

Fincantieri announced on 5th November that contracts had been signed aimed at creating a cruise shipbuilding and maintenance hub in China. As part of the agreements between Fincantieri, CSSC and Carnival Corporation & plc announced in February 2017 and related to the construction of two cruise ships, the first ever “made in China for the local market” cruise vessel has moved a step closer. The project, which has a total value of about $1.5 billion, not counting the options for additional 4 vessels, will be achieved by Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (SWS), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The joint venture set up by Fincantieri and CSSC Cruise Technology Development Co. Ltd. (CCTD) will grant a technology license of the ship model platform and provide a series of technical services to SWS, including project management activities, supply chain management and sales of fundamental systems and components of the ship. The design will be tailored for the specific tastes of the Chinese market and for CSSC Carnival Cruise Shipping Limited, the resultant new Chinese cruise brand. This joint venture will see Carnival Corporation and CSSC operate the newbuilds, the first of which will be delivered in 2023.

Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, a subsidiary of the TUI Group, has secured financing for a third expedition ship from Germany’s KfW IPEX-Bank and Commerzbank. The latest vessel, to be named Hanseatic Spirit, will be constructed by the VARD Shipyard in Norway and is scheduled for delivery in 2021. The ship will join the Hanseatic Nature and Hanseatic Inspiration, which were contracted to VARD in 2016, and will be delivered in 2019. The 139m long ships will be able to accommodate up to 230 passengers and 175 crew members.

Havila Kystruten of Norway has enlisted engineering company Rolls-Royce to provide power and propulsion systems for its new fleet of passenger and cargo vessels on the new look coastal cruise network. Rolls-Royce will provide a fully integrated LNG power and propulsion solution for the quartet of Havyard 923 design ships, including two LNG fuel tanks with process system, and control and safety systems, four Bergen gas engines, Azipull main propulsion thrusters with Permanent Magnet (PM) drive motor, PM tunnel thrusters, and Neptune 200 stabilisers. The LNG fuel system from Rolls-Royce will supply Bergen gas generator sets with each vessel having two engines with nine in-line cylinders, and two with six cylinders. The engines can operate on variable speed to reduce both fuel consumption and emissions. The newbuilds are scheduled to start operating the Norwegian coastal routes between Bergen and Kirkenes from January 2021. The ships are being built in pairs by Astillero Hijos de J. Barreras in Spain and the Tersan Shipyard in Turkey.

Hurtigruten has signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian shipyard Kleven Verft for the construction of a third hybrid battery-powered expedition cruise ship. The new order is part of an agreement signed between Kleven and Hurtigruten in 2016 for the construction of two expedition-style cruise ships plus options for two additional vessels. The new ship’s design, construction, engineering and advanced technology will be based on the first ships, the 20,889gt Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen, which are currently under construction at the Kleven Verft shipyard in Ulsteinvik, Norway. The trio of newbuilds will have capacity for up to 530 guests and will be custom-built with an ice-strengthened hull to operate in some of the world’s harshest conditions, including Norwegian fjords, Antarctica, Iceland, Greenland, and the Arctic. The third ship is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2021 following delivery of the first two ships in 2019 and 2020, respectively, bringing the fleet to 17 ships. Hurtigruten is expected to sign the contract for third vessel in the first quarter of 2019.

Marella Cruises said farewell to the 33,930gt/1983 built Marella Spirit (above), formerly the Thomson Spirit/Nieuw Amsterdam, on 28th October after the ship’s final cruise had been completed, which commenced on 21st October. The ship was returned to the Louis Cruises fleet but, on 6th November, came the unexpected news that the ship had been sold for scrap and renamed Mare S for her final voyage to the beaches of Aliaga.

Mystic Cruises was due to launch its first newbuild, the 200-guest capacity World Explorer, on 28th October in Portugal. The premium expedition ship is set to enter service for the Nicko Cruises brand in early 2019 followed by a charter deal with Quark Expeditions in Antarctica for the 2019-2020 season.

Portuscale Cruises’ 5,888gt/1965 built Porto reached the beaches of Aliaga on 5th November. Her fleet mate, the 9,563gt/1961 built Funchal, remains laid up at Lisbon whilst the now CMV operated 16,144gt/1948 built Astoria concluded her 2018 season at Portsmouth at the end of October and proceeded to Antwerp for winter lay-up. Her 2019 season begins at Poole in March.

P&O Cruises Australia and Princess Cruises chartered out three cruise ships to house delegates to the 2018 Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) Summit in November 2018, hosted in the

Papua New Guinea capital of Port Moresby. The 70,310gt/1990 built Pacific Jewel, 77,441gt/1997 built Pacific Explorer and 77,499gt/1998 built Sea Princess provided accommodation for APEC attendees from their moorings within a secure zone .

Royal Caribbean International has announced a US$115m refurbishment of the Caribbean-based Navigator of the Seas. From February 2019, the 3,807-passenger ship will offer a host of new amenities such as a new “Caribbean-inspired” pool area, two new waterslides, and the To Dry For bar offering beauty services and wine. Further enhancements set to be included in the revamp are the cruise line’s Polynesian-themed pub The Bamboo Room, a glow-in-the-dark laser tag area for kids, and a range of new restaurants such as Jamie’s Italian and the seafood restaurant Hooked Seafood. The company’s modernisation programme, Royal Amplified, kicked off with the Independence of the Seas, followed by the Mariner of the Seas. Alas the addition of waterslides etc. spoils the lines of the Royal Caribbean ships concerned but it is all about what the guests want rather than aesthetics.

The 139,570gt/2002 built Navigator of the Seas was reportedly forced to make an emergency call to Vigo on 28th October after experiencing technical problems. A stabiliser failure caused water ingress, forcing the closure of an entire fire zone for safety reasons. The crew was placed on alert and repairs were subsequently made during a stopover at the Spanish port. Because of the time needed to make the repairs, it was necessary to modify the itinerary as departure from Vigo did not take place until 30th October. The ship then called at Gran Canaria on 31st October and Tenerife on 1st November before returning to Southampton on 5th November as scheduled. Passengers were compensated accordingly.

Scenic has been hit by the turmoil at the Uljanik Group shipyard in Croatia, which has delayed the new expedition vessel Scenic Eclipse. Industrial action has caused considerable disruption with restructuring talks for the beleaguered yard underway in October/November. Due to the issues encountered, Scenic has already taken full ownership of the vessel and is contracting suppliers directly to ensure the build continues. The vessel’s debut has already been delayed from August 2018 to January 2019 and it is not clear if any further deferrals will be necessary.

Silversea Cruises’ 6,130gt/1989 built Silver Explorer was dry docked by Seaspan at their Vancouver Drydock facility in October. The 144 passenger/118 crew capacity ship also received a stern ducktail to add stability and increase efficiency. Other work included tank top and propeller repairs.

Twinkle Travel Cruise, a joint venture between COSCO and China Travel Services, is the operation that P&O Cruises’ 69,840gt/1995 built Oriana will operate for when she is retired by her Owners in August 2019. She is expected to be introduced to the Chinese Market from mid-September 2019.