Friday, July 19, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for July 19, 2013

A bumper crop of "other things" today: 

* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers read about Schettino trial on hold ... Regal Princess senior officers chosen ... passenger found dead on Carnival Dream ... passenger pleads not guilty to rape on Carnival Dream ... crafts at camp were never like this ... and passengers allege flesh-eating bacteria in Carnival hot tubs.


The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for July 18, 2013

* Scrub a Dub Dub
Earlier we told readers how the new Emission Control Areas (ECA’s) were going to have a major impact on cruising, especially in areas where the itineraries call for lots of coastal cruising. We’ve looked at the sizable added fuel cost, and recently we saw Carnival relocate a ship to a different home port due to the impact the ECA would have on the itineraries it sails. We’ve also seen cruise lines beginning programs to retrofit their ships with scrubbers to make their ships exhaust emissions cleaner and compliant with the ECA’s 0.1% sulphur limits.

Today, Norwegian Cruise Line announced they would be building Green Tech Marine scrubbers right into the design of their two Breakaway Plus ships that will be built by Meyer Werft.



* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about the pyramids will wait ... and the Schettinno trail opens.


The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Senior Officers Announced for Regal Princess

Senior Officers Announced for Regal Princess
Experienced Team Tapped to Launch Princess Cruises’ Next Ship




SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (July 18, 2013) – Princess Cruises has announced that Captain Ed Perrin will be at the helm of its next new ship, Regal Princess, leading a senior officer team with more than 100 years of seagoing experience among them. The senior four-stripe team will also include Relief Captain Dino Sagani, Relief Captain John Foster, Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto, Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand, and Staff Captain Aldo Traverso.

Following in the wake of sister ship Royal Princess, Regal Princess launches in June 2014 for a season of Mediterranean cruising. The ship will offer the same dramatic features that have already made headlines on Royal Princess, including a soaring atrium, the dramatic over-water SeaWalk, the new Princess Live! television studio, a special Chef’s Table Lumiere, and balconies on all outside staterooms.

“It takes a talented team to bring out a new vessel of this caliber,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises executive vice president. “These skilled officers bring considerable seagoing and management skills to the new ship’s maiden season.”

Princess' Capt Ed Perrin
Captain Ed Perrin – Captain Edward Perrin has been in command of numerous Princess ships since 2006, beginning with the former Tahitian Princess sailing in French Polynesia. Captain Perrin attended the College of Maritime Studies in Southampton and worked aboard several types of cargo ships before setting off aboard cruise ships. He then joined Princess in 1996. A native of Dorset on the South West Coast of England, Captain Perrin grew up watching the cargo ships and ocean liners sail from local ports, which sparked his growing desire to work at sea.

Relief Captain Dino Sagani – Captain Dino Sagani commanded a variety of Princess vessels, including Sea Princess, Dawn Princess, Sapphire Princess, Diamond Princess, and most recently as relief captain on Royal Princess. Sagani was born in Trieste on the North East Adriatic coast of Italy. Following the family tradition, he studied at the Nautical College in Trieste, which is one of the oldest Nautical Schools in Europe. On completion of his studies, he joined the Italian Navy, serving on a minesweeper during the first Gulf War. After the Navy, he joined Princess Cruises in 1995, where he quickly climbed the ranks and was promoted to captain in 2007.

Relief Captain John Foster – Captain John Foster has most recently commanded Sea Princess and Grand Princess. Foster started his seagoing career as an officer cadet with Esso tankers at the age of 16. After completing his cadetship, he joined his first Princess ship – the original Royal Princess. He was also assigned to the new build projects of Dawn Princess, Grand Princess and Island Princess. Foster was born in the maritime city of Liverpool, on the banks of the river Mersey, on the North West coast of England, where he still resides.

Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto – Chief Engineer Rosario Segreto has held this position for Princess Cruises since 1999 and is now one of the most senior chief engineers in the Princess fleet. In 2010, he was asked to participate in the design and development of the new class of ships, Royal Princess and Regal Princess, and has spent the past several years working extensively with the shipbuilding team. Segreto is from the small town of Villamassargia on the island of Sardinia, Italy, and graduated from the Nautical School in Cagliari, Sardinia in 1980. He began his career at sea as a cadet engineer on tanker and cargo ships. He joined Princess Cruises in 1988.

Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand – Hotel General Manager Dirk Brand will oversee all hotel functions aboard Regal Princess, a position he has held aboard a variety of Princess ships, including most recently Royal Princess and Ruby Princess during the ships’ inaugurals. He has also worked aboard the ships of sister company Cunard. Brand was born in Berlin, Germany and grew up in Munich. After completing his education and apprenticeship in hotel management, he served with the Air Force in Sardinia, Italy. Fluent in three languages, Brand began his career at sea in 1998 as a senior assistant food and beverage director during the inaugural season of Grand Princess. He currently resides in Spain.

Staff Captain Aldo Traverso – Head of the deck department and second in command to the captain, Staff Captain Aldo Traverso joined Princess in 1998 aboard the original Regal Princess. A native of Genova, Italy, Traverso graduated from that city’s Nautical Institute, after which he served in the Navy – first at the Naval Academy in Livorno and then on board a Navy vessel. His Princess career began as an able seaman fireman, after which he rose swiftly through the ranks to his current position. Today, Traverso resides in the Piemonte region of Italy.

Regal Princess, will debut on June 2, 2014 with a seven-day inaugural voyage from Venice to Barcelona. The ship will then sail on a 10-day Mediterranean & Aegean cruise, followed by a season of Princess’ signature Grand Mediterranean cruises, with two itinerary choices.

Source: Princess Cruises

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for July 17, 2013

* She Won’t Wait Forever
Costa Concordia still lies partially submerged off the coast of Giglio Island in Italy. But now the people removing the ship are getting squeezed, not only by factions that want the ship out of there as soon as possible, but also by the governmental agency that is overseeing the work who wants to delay its removal until next year unless they are sure there won’t be any environmental damage when it is removed. Now the laws of physics are also beginning to squeeze the time line.


* Other Things You’ll Want to Know
CND subscribers also read about a crew member being found dead aboard MSC Preziosa ... slow and steady wins the award ... and sharing the wealth.


The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Paul Gauguin Cruises Appoints David Kelly Director Of Vessel Operations

BELLEVUE, Wash (July 17, 2013).- Paul Gauguin Cruises, operator of the highest-rated and longest continually sailing luxury cruise ship in the South Pacific, the m/s Paul Gauguin, and the 90-guest m/v Tere Moana, is pleased to announce the appointment of David Kelly as Director of Vessel Operations.

"I am thrilled to welcome David Kelly to our team at Paul Gauguin Cruises," said Diane Moore, President of Paul Gauguin Cruises. "He brings extensive hotel operations experience with luxury cruise brands, a passion for innovation, and a wealth of management expertise."

In his new position at Paul Gauguin Cruises, Kelly will be responsible for all in-house vessel operations, including hotel, port planning, purchasing, land programs, and entertainment programs on board the company's vessels. He will report to Paul Gauguin Cruises' Chief Operating Officer Florence Courbiere.

Kelly has more than 14 years of experience in cruise and hotel operations encompassing finance, hotel, port, marine, and yard operations.  Most recently, he was Vice President of Operations for American Queen Steamboat Company.  Kelly has also previously served as Director of Vessel Operations for Prestige Cruise Holdings, the parent company of Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.  Prior to this, he held positions with Silversea Cruises, Renaissance Cruises, and consulted with Royal Caribbean International regarding the launch of Azamara.  Besides his well-respected career in the cruise industry, Kelly has also served in regional management roles with Aurora Hotels & Resorts and MacDonald Hotels & Resorts, both based in Edinburgh, Scotland.  A native of Scotland, Kelly holds a bachelor's degree from Glasgow Caledonian University.

Source: Paul Gauguin Cruises

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for July 16, 2013

* Norwegian Orders Fourth Breakaway-Class Ship
Norwegian Cruise Line said this morning that they have ordered a second Breakaway Plus vessel, the line’s largest class of ship, from Meyer Werft.

The 163,000-ton vessel will carry approximately 4,200 passengers and will be delivered in spring of 2017.


* And Carnival Says ...
Yesterday, the US Coast Guard released their report on the November 2010 fire aboard Carnival Splendor. It contained five recommendations (the type of recommendation which shouldn’t be ignored if you know what is good for you), and today Carnival Cruise Lines issued a statement that discusses where they stand in correcting the issues with which the Coast Guard found fault.


* Rolling on the River - Until You Reach a Striking LockAs much as the river cruise lines are trying to make themselves like ocean cruising, there are still major differences. This week’s difficulties in Germany point out one of them.

On most rivers, passage is dependent on locks to raise or lower the ship to the next level. The problem is that the operators of the locks in Germany have gone out on strike.


The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Norwegian Cruise Line Orders Second Breakaway Plus Ship

Norwegian Cruise Line said this morning (July 16, 2013) that they have ordered a second Breakaway Plus vessel from Meyer Werft.

The 163,000-ton vessel will carry approximately 4,200 passengers and will be delivered in spring of 2017.

The first Breakaway vessel, Norwegian Breakaway, was delivered by Meyer Werft on April 25, 2013. The second, Norwegian Getaway, will be delivered in January 2014. The original Breakaway-class was sized at 146,600 gross tons and carries 4,000 passengers.

The larger Breakaway Plus-class is currently under development at Meyer Werft, and the first of that series is scheduled for delivery in October 2015.

The complete story will appear in today's issue of Cruise News Daily.

Monday, July 15, 2013

Cruise News Daily Headlines for July 15, 2013

* Coast Guard Issues Report on Carnival Splendor Fire
The US Coast Guard issued their report today on the November 2010 fire aboard Carnival Splendor off the west coast of Mexico which disabled the ship, left it without any power, and it was subsequently towed back to San Diego, arriving three days later.


* A Success for Cayman?
We reported last week that a high-level tourism delegation from the Cayman Islands made a trip to Miami to meet with cruise line officials to talk about how committed the government is to building berthing facilities for cruise ships. They are hoping to stem their constantly decreasing numbers of cruise passengers. Cruise lines don’t want to tender at ports from their large ships, which are now the norm in the Caribbean, so those are bypassing the island. The government is hoping to eventually woo them once their cruise port is underway, but in the interim, they are hoping to at least not have any more ships withdrawn from the island. Ideally, they’d like to have more.

That’s what Tourism Minister Moses Kirkconnell says he got. At a news conference in Miami, he said a cruise line has agreed to have a ship add Grand Cayman to its itinerary, but neither the line nor the ship was named.


The complete articles appeared in the e-mail edition of Cruise News Daily delivered to our subscribers.

Adrian Fischer Joins Princess Cruises as Vice President of Entertainment

Princess' Adrian Fischer
SANTA CLARITA, Calif. (July 15, 2013) – Princess Cruises has appointed 30-year entertainment industry veteran Adrian Fischer as vice president of entertainment.

Fischer will lead the cruise line’s entertainment operations across a fleet of 17 ships that encompasses dozens of production shows, hundreds of guest entertainers, and an extensive variety of passenger programs. In this new role, he will not only focus on maintaining the high-quality of Princess entertainment offerings, but will also create new events and programs to keep Princess’ audiences engaged and excited.

“Adrian’s impressive and diverse entertainment background will be a perfect complement to Princess as we strive to delight audiences across the globe,” said Rai Caluori, Princess Cruises executive vice president of fleet operations.

Fischer’s extensive experience in the entertainment industry includes music, theater, theme parks, and performance art. Most recently, Fischer served as vice president of entertainment for Carnival Cruise Lines, where he led a global team of 1,300 employees, and launched a number of key initiatives including many elements of the line’s Fun Ship 2.0 initiative.

He has also held executive positions at SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment in San Diego, Blue Man Group in New York City, and the Walt Disney Company in Anaheim and Orlando.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Alberta, Edmonton, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles.


Source: Princess Cruises

Costa Crociere Promotes Buhdy Bok to Senior Vice President Pacific Asia and China

Costa's Buhdy Bok
GENOA, Italy (July 15, 2013) -- Costa Crociere S.p.A. has promoted Buhdy Bok to senior vice president Pacific Asia and China.

"Buhdy Bok's promotion is both recognition of his valuable work to date and further confirmation of the importance of China and Asia to Costa," said Michael Thamm, CEO of Costa Crociere S.p.A. "Costa entered Asia as the market pioneer in 2006, promoting a new holiday concept and creating the local cruise market, where we are the leader. I am sure that under Buhdy's guidance we will further grow and catch the opportunities that lie ahead."

Costa named Bok vice president China in May 2011. Since January 2012, his role has been expanded to cover the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.

Before coming to Costa, Bok spent 15 years at Singapore Airlines, where he held a number of positions at the company's head office in Singapore and abroad. He holds an accountancy degree from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore and a law degree from University of London. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Duke University in the United States.


Source: Costa Crociere

Carnival Cruise Lines Names Experienced Maritime and Transportation Experts to Safety Board

Carnival Cruise Lines Names Four Experienced Maritime and Transportation Industry Experts to the Company's Newly-Formed Safety & Reliability Review Board

MIAMI (July 15, 2013) – Carnival Cruise Lines has appointed four highly esteemed maritime and transportation industry experts – Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby, Rear Admiral Joseph F. Campbell, Ray Valeika and Dr. John K. Lauber -- to the company’s new Safety & Reliability Review Board.

Announced in April as part of Carnival’s comprehensive fleetwide technical enhancement program, the review board was created to provide independent third-party perspective and to drive continuous improvement across the line’s fleet. The core objectives of the board are to review Carnival Cruise Lines’ current policies, practices and performance and to guide the company in incorporating best practices from other relevant fields and industries. The four new board members are:

  • Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby Rear Admiral Mark H. Buzby will be retiring from the U.S. Navy on August 1 after a 34 year career as a Surface Warfare officer. For the past three and a half years, he commanded the Navy's Military Sealift Command (MSC), responsible for the operation and maintenance of 112 civilian manned logistics, support, special mission, and prepositioning ships operating around the globe. A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, Buzby has served extensively at sea in destroyers, cruisers, and a hydrofoil. He commanded five times including destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64), Destroyer Squadron 31, Surface Warfare Officers School, Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and MSC. Ashore, Rear Admiral Buzby has served several tours on the Chief of Naval Operations staff and the Joint Staff. As a Flag officer, he served as Deputy for Surface Ships, Deputy for Expeditionary Warfare, and Deputy for Surface Warfare. He served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Global Force Management and Joint Operations at U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. Rear Admiral Buzby has been awarded a number of decorations including the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal and numerous other unit and campaign awards. He brings a wealth of fleet-level operational expertise to the Board.
  • Rear Admiral Joseph F. Campbell was an engineering duty officer in the U.S. Navy for more than 32 years. He served in various waterfront maintenance tours and commanded Norfolk Naval Shipyard for two separate periods from 2003 to 2006 and from 2012 to 2013. Upon promotion to Rear Admiral, he served on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations as Fleet Maintenance Officer at U.S. Fleet Forces Command and at the Naval Sea Systems Command as Deputy for Industrial Operations and Maintenance. During his Navy career Campbell was awarded the prestigious Distinguished Service Medal along with other personal medals and numerous campaign and unit awards.
  • Ray Valeika is an internationally recognized aviation operations expert with more than 40 years of experience in managing large airline maintenance operations. After retiring from Delta Air Lines as senior vice president - technical operations, Valeika works as an independent consultant for global maintenance and engineering firms. During his esteemed career, Valeika has directed staffs of more than 10,000 professionals, and advised major companies in aviation and technical matters. His leadership at Delta resulted in continuous improvement of the human factor processes in aviation maintenance, with Delta’s Technical Operations division consistently ranking at the top of the industry for performance benchmarks in the areas of safety, quality, productivity and reliability. Under Valeika’s leadership, Delta achieved STAR level, the highest safety rating awarded by the national Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA’s) Voluntary Protection Program. Delta also received the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) Diamond award, its highest award for maintenance technician training safety. Valeika was also a member of the FAA’s special Airworthiness Directives Compliance Review Team. In addition, Valeika was the recipient of the Air Transport Association’s Nuts & Bolts award for his leadership and achievement in furthering safety and quality standards in the commercial aviation industry. 
  • Dr. John K. Lauber previously served as senior vice president and chief product safety officer for Airbus SAS in Toulouse, France, and also was vice president – safety and technical affairs for Airbus North America in Washington, DC. Prior to joining Airbus, he was vice president of corporate safety and compliance at Delta Air Lines. Dr. Lauber has received numerous awards, including NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Award, the Flight Safety Foundation/Aviation Week Space Technology Distinguished Service Award and the Boeing/Flight Safety Foundation Aviation Safety Lifetime Achievement Award. Most recently, he received the Joseph T. Nall award from the International Aviation and Transportation Safety Bar Association. In 1985, Dr. Lauber was nominated by President Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate for a term as a Member of the National Transportation Safety Board. In 1990 he was re-nominated by President Bush and confirmed for a second term at the NTSB, where he served until 1994. He has been a member of many other advisory committees and boards, including the Workshop on Assessing the Research and Development Plan for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, and the Committee on the Effects of Commuting on Pilot Fatigue. He is a member of the MITRE Aviation Advisory Committee and serves as vice chairman of the Puget Sound Harbor Safety Committee.
“In April, Carnival Cruise Lines announced a major initiative encompassing technical, safety and reliability enhancements,” said Gerry Cahill, president and CEO of Carnival Cruise Lines. “That initiative encompasses a $300 million investment to significantly enhance emergency power capabilities, introduce new fire safety technologies and improve the level of operating redundancies across our entire 24-ship fleet, as well as the formation of a Safety & Reliability Review Board. All of these measures serve to position us as an industry leader in operational best practices as we move towards the future,” Cahill added.

In addition to these external members, the Safety & Reliability Review Board will also include the following technical experts from within Carnival Cruise Lines:

  • Martin Landtman, senior vice president marine operations, who oversees all aspects of marine operations for the line’s 24-vessel fleet and joined Carnival in February 2011. Prior to joining Carnival, Landtman was president of Aker Yards/STX Finland, Inc., one of the world’s largest shipbuilders. He also spent several years in senior management positions at Kvaernar Masa-Yards, a leading Helsinki-based shipbuilder, and 10 years at Wartsila Shipyards in a number of technical operations posts, including head of machinery design.
  • Richard J. O’Hanlon, vice president – nautical and safety operations, who joined Carnival in May 2013 and is responsible for all aspects of nautical and safety functions across the Carnival fleet, including bridge procedures and nautical operations, as well as firefighting and lifesaving systems. O’Hanlon is a former rear admiral in the U.S. Navy with nearly two decades of government and private sector executive experience in maritime operations, maintenance and logistics. O’Hanlon was previously commander of the Naval Air Force Atlantic and deputy chief of staff for logistics and training for U.S. Fleet Forces, both based in Norfolk, Va.
  • Mark Jackson, vice president - technical operations, who joined Carnival in April 2013 and oversees all technical marine functions across the Carnival fleet, including repair and maintenance, refurbishment projects, and related technical services. Jackson is a 24-year veteran of the United States Coast Guard with extensive experience in nautical engineering, maritime repair and refurbishments, and ship operations. Prior to joining Carnival, Jackson was commanding officer of the U.S. Coast Guard base in Miami Beach, FL. He was also commanding officer of the Naval Engineering Support unit in Miami overseeing a team of 100-plus engineers and served as lead instructor for shipboard stability and firefighting at the U.S. Navy Warfare Officers School.
Carnival's Safety & Reliability Review Board is in addition to parent company Carnival Corp. & plc's board-level Health, Environmental, Safety and Security Committee as well as multiple regulatory agencies which provide extensive cruise industry oversight.

Source: Carnival Cruise Lines