Blissful Start

The newest member of Norwegian Cruise Line’s Breakaway Plus class came one step closer to delivery on 17th February when the 168,800gt Norwegian Bliss emerged stern-first from the Meyer Werft building dock in Papenburg, Germany. As is customary, the ship remained at the shipyard for the final phase of construction, including fitting of the funnel, until her conveyance down the River Ems towards the North Sea, scheduled for mid-March. The ship will accept her first guests on 19th April at Bremerhaven for a two-night cruise to Southampton.

Sixth Ship For CMV

On 7th March CMV Group announced the addition of ship number six to their fleet, namely the 55,877gt/1993 built Pacific Eden (above) from P&O Cruises Australia. On 20th March it was announced that the Pacific Eden will be renamed Vasco da Gama and the vessel will join CMV’s expanding fleet with delivery in Singapore in early April 2019 followed by a short dry-dock to include a livery change, re-brand and some preparatory works before she positions westbound to Northern Europe via the Suez on her inaugural voyage. She will operate alongside CMV’s flagship, Columbus (1,400pax), Magellan (1,300pax), Marco Polo (800pax), Astor (600pax) and Astoria (550pax). Cruise and Maritime Voyages has also launched its 2019 cruise programme including departures from Wales for the third successive year. CMV’s classic Marco Polo will offer four sailings from Cardiff in April and May 2019. The programme of cruises starts on 19th April 2019 with a short 3-night Easter break that actually starts from Avonmouth. The fourth cruise in the series departs from Cardiff on 15th May 2019. The Astoria’s 2018 season did not have the best start. The 16,144gt/1948 built ship was delayed leaving Lisbon for Tilbury after refit so her first cruise departure on 8th March was deferred by 24 hours thus causing the Amsterdam call to be cancelled.

Crystal Redesigns

On 6th March Crystal Cruises announced details of the most extensive redesign in the 68,870gt/2003 built Crystal Serenity’s history. This October the ship will enter dry dock for a three-week refurbishment that mirrors and betters the changes that were first revealed aboard the 51,044gt/1995 built Crystal Symphony.

Crystal Cruises revealed on the same occasion the latest details of its upcoming 19,800gt expedition yacht, Crystal Endeavor. The all-suite, purpose-built polar class yacht will be the largest, most spacious expedition yacht in the world with the standard of restaurants and public spaces that guests have long enjoyed aboard Crystal’s ocean ships, as well as new spots specifically designed for expedition cruising.

Hurtigruten’s Newbuild Delayed

The Norwegian coastal operator launched the first of its two (with options for 2 more) new hybrid-powered Explorer ships, the Roald Amundsen, in Ulsteinvik, Norway on 17th February. Originally scheduled to enter service later in 2018, the Kleven Verft Shipyard announced that, owing to the complexity of the project, they will need more time to complete the vessel and will not be able to deliver her on schedule. The delay impacts sailings in late 2018 and early 2019, with around 3,000 affected guests receiving a full refund, including flight cancellation costs and a number of discounts on alternative sailings. Hurtigruten is a part owner of the yard and was one of six companies that provided Kleven with a $40 million capital injection last year, and received part of a 40% stake in return. According to previous statements from Kleven, the financing averted the possibility of bankruptcy. When delivered, the ship will deploy on expedition voyages to Antarctica and the Chilean fjords and the second vessel will be named Fridtjof Nansen. Both are intended for voyages in polar waters and will have strengthened hulls for traversing ice. Hybrid technology, combined with the advanced construction of the hull and effective use of electricity on board will reduce fuel consumption and CO2-emissions on the ships by 20%.

Two More For Ponant

The subsidiary of Artemis Group (holding company of the Pinault family) has signed a contract with Vard Holdings Limited, Norwegian subsidiary of Fincantieri, for the design and construction of two additional luxury expedition cruise vessels with deliveries scheduled respectively in the first and second quarters of 2020. The vessels will be identical to those ordered in 2016. They will be built by the Vard Group’s production network, and will be around 131m long, 18m wide and approximately 10,000gt. The newbuilds, to be named Le Bellot and Le Surville, will have a cruising speed of 15 knots and accommodation for 180 passengers on board (92 cabins with a balcony each). The first vessel in the series will be delivered in the second quarter of 2018, followed by the delivery of the next three vessels in the period from autumn 2018 to summer 2019. In addition, Vard will deliver the first arctic LNG cruise vessel to Ponant in 2021.

Extended Spirit

On 22nd February the 36,009gt/2009 built Silver Spirit made her final port call in Dubai before undergoing an extensive lengthening project in Italy. The ship then proceeded to Fincantieri’s Palermo shipyard for 5th March, where she remains until 1st May. She is undergoing large-scale refurbishment works, which include the insertion of a prefabricated 15m long segment into the ship’s midsection, making her the first luxury ship to be lengthened in this manner (above).

More Ships For Viking

On 6th March Fincantieri and Viking Ocean Cruises announced that they had entered an agreement for a further 6 ocean ships, which would lead to a total of 16 vessels being built for the new ocean cruise operator between 2015 and 2027. The new ships, whose delivery is scheduled for 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027, is subject to specific conditions. Viking’s current ocean fleet includes ships having exclusively all-veranda staterooms, a gross tonnage of 47,842gt and accommodation for 930 passengers in 465 cabins. At the time of the announcement, Fincantieri had delivered 4 ships to Viking Ocean Cruises. The first of the series, the Viking Star, was built in Marghera and delivered in March 2015. The second, third and fourth (Viking Sea, Viking Sky and Viking Sun) were delivered from the Ancona shipyard in March 2016 and January/September 2017 respectively. The further six units in the order book will be delivered respectively in 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 (2 units) and 2023. The construction of 16 vessels for one single ship owner is an all-time record and makes Viking, already the world’s largest river cruise company, the new leader in the small ship ocean cruise market.