For the past five to six years, cruise ships have come under renewed scrutiny, with critics citing their levels of in-port emissions as some of the worst in the maritime sector. “Sustainability is the main driving force of the Port of Barcelona”, that Spanish cruise hub states on its website. However, in 2022, Barcelona recorded […]
The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is forging ahead to develop a shore power installation at the Zweedse Kaai cruise terminal in Zeebrugge, Belgium, which will enable this hub to provide green electricity to calling cruise ships. Scheduled to be up and running in early 2027, and funded to the tune of just under €4 million by […]
The third ship in Royal Caribbean’s behemothic Icon class, Legend of the Seas, has undergone a float-out ceremony at the Meyer Turku shipyard in Finland, in advance of her Q2 2026 delivery. The Icon class features a length of 365m, a breadth of nearly 50m and a gross tonnage exceeding 248,600, granting it the title […]
Dutch maritime decking specialist Bolidt recently completed its largest ever retrofit project, installing around 18,000m2 of decking on the Royal Caribbean International (RCI) cruise vessel Allure of the Seas. The sheer scale of the project presented a number of challenges, which the company worked with the client, the shipyard – Navantia Cadiz – and other […]
Italy’s Fincantieri, one of Europe’s premier cruise shipbuilders, has achieved considerable success of late in this sector. Recently, its Monfalcone shipyard delivered the 160,000gt Mein Schiff Relax, the first of two environmentally friendly InTUItion-class cruise ships with dual-fuel (LNG and MGO) capability that Fincantieri is building for this shipowner. The sister ship will set sail […]
The Canadian yard’s cruise business is performing well and should get a boost with the arrival of a new drydock To start off the cruise ship season, Seaspan’s Vancouver Drydock welcomed the Roald Amundsen, a hybrid expedition cruise vessel owned by Hurtigruten Expeditions, which had visited in the yard on two previous occasions. The vessel […]
The economies of scale are a powerful driver to build ever larger cruise ships, but has a maximum size been reached? Kari Reinikainen reports Forty years ago, the shipping media carried stories about a 250,000gt cruise ship that the chairman of what was then Norwegian Caribbean Line (NCL), Knut Kloster, was planning to build: it […]
Completed just five years since the signing of the initial contract, Adora Magic City is a potent symbol of China’s shipbuilding dominance. While the 135,500 gt cruise ship, which has accommodation for 5,246 passengers can’t claim to be the world’s most innovative vessel – being largely based on Carnival Corp’s Vista class vessels and built […]
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the introduction of the first ferry to become often referred to as a ro-pax – the Majestic of Grandi Navi Veloci. While the ship and its numerous sister ships featured high-quality passenger accommodation, ro-paxes soon became regarded mainly as ferry companies’ response to budget airlines, providing a no-frills […]
The Cruise Division of MSC Group has confirmed firm orders for two hydrogen-powered vessels for its luxury travel brand Explora Journeys with the Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri. MSC has also pledged to continue its push towards a 2050 net zero-carbon emissions target by investing in new environmental technologies for the luxury ships. The deal completes a […]
The Spanish shipyard group has further consolidated its position as the leading European cruise shiprepair specialist over the past few years Navantia handled a total of 14 cruise ship projects in 2022, down slightly from 18 cruise ships in 2021. However, the latter was an exceptionally strong year because of the return of cruise business […]
By Kari Reinikainen, Correspondent Silver Nova, a 54,700gt newbuilding that Meyer Werft in Germany has recently delivered to Silversea Cruises, part of the Royal Caribbean Group, features a layout that represents new thinking on cruise ships of this size. Perhaps the most immediately visible feature in the layout is the location of the swimming pool […]