P&O Cruises has indicated the potential of Cairns to become Australia’s northern cruising hub with the announcement that one of its new cruise ships will homeport in the city for two months. The 1,500 passenger former HAL ship Pacific Eden will generate an estimated $4 million for the region in September 2016.Holland America Lines’ 55,819gt/1994 built Ryndam was given a fond farewell from Dover on 8th September with the Port of Dover’s tugs saluting its valued customer with water cannons as the ship departed for the last time. The ship will now join the P&O Cruises Australia fleet in 2015.

Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines returned to Belfast in late August with the 28,551gt/1973 built Boudicca’s two cruise itineraries. The company will return with an increased number of cruises from Belfast in 2015 using the 28,613gt/1972 built Black Watch.

Portuscale Cruises cancelled its first season in Australia less than five months before it was due to begin. The company’s 9,563gt/1961 built Funchal was scheduled to start cruising out of Geelong (Victoria) and Newcastle (NSW) from February 2015.

Hapag-Lloyd’s 8,378gt/1991 built Hanseatic set a new record for passenger ships in the Northeast Passage in early September when she reached the northernmost point at 85°, 40.7′ N and 135°, 39.6′ E. The voyage set off from Nome, Alaska on 12th August 2014 and continued on to Severnaya Zemlya after her record breaking occasion.

Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is planning to exit the cruise ship-building business so Meyer Werft stands a good chance of winning back Carnival’s Aida Cruises as a customer. The shipyard has suffered from financial penalties as a result of delays in the construction of two cruise ships for Aida due for delivery in 2015 and 2016.

In September French cruise line Compagnie Isles du Ponant revealed it is to curtail its trading name to Ponant to produce a stronger visual impact. The company aims to grow its business internationally and said with the new name it was “developing the brand while preserving its roots”.