STX Offshore seeks to sell STX France

STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co aims to sell STX France, say media reports

STX Offshore & Shipbuilding Co aims to sell STX France as part of a restructuring plan, according to media reports.

The South Korean company, which filed for receivership in May, reportedly told a bankruptcy court in South Korea that it has hired PricewaterhouseCoopers to help it sell its subsidiary STX France, and also said it plans to cut its staff in Korea by a third by the end of September this year.

STX’s creditors will decide in October whether to accept the restructuring plan, say media reports.

Previous sale attempts of STX France fell through in 2014 and 2015.

STX France was acquired by STX Offshore and Shipbuilding in 2009. The shipbuilder has a very healthy orderbook, with cruise ships on it including MSC Cruises’ two next generation Vista-class cruise ships and Celebrity Cruises’ Project Edge newbuilds. 

It also built the world’s largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, which was delivered earlier this year, and a memorandum of understanding has been signed for a fifth Oasis-class ship.

The Largest Cruise Ship Ever, Harmony of the Seas Photos

The Largest Cruise Ship Ever, Harmony of the Seas

Delivery ceremony of the Harmony of the Seas at the STX Les Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, May 12, 2016.

Thanks to https://gcaptain.com, Visit for some great shipping info.

Royal Caribbean this week celebrated the delivery of Harmony of the Seas, which at 227,000 gross tons is the largest cruise ship ever constructed.

The ship was delivered Thursday following 32 months of construction at the STX France shipyard in Saint Nazaire, France.

Costing more than a $1 billion, Harmony of the Seas is the 25th ship in the Royal Caribbean fleet and third Oasis-class ship.

The ship will spend it inaugural season sailing the Mediterranean from Barcelona, Spain before heading to her homeport of Port Everglades, Florida in November where it will offer regular seven-night sailings to the eastern and western Caribbean.

The ship has capacity to carry 5,479 guests in 2,747 staterooms, and is home to 2,100 crew.

Update: Following Thursday’s delivery ceremony, Harmony of the Seas departed the STX France shipyard on Sunday to great fanfare.

The Harmony of the Seas (Oasis 3) class ship leaves the STX Les Chantiers de l’Atlantique shipyard site in Saint-Nazaire, France, May 15, 2016. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Earlier photos:

Harmony of the Seas pictured in January 2016 at STX France. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Harmony of the Seas during sea trials in March 2016. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Credit: Royal Caribbean

Credit: Royal Caribbean

Inside Harmony of the Seas’ engine room. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Harmony of the Seas’ control room. Credit: Royal Caribbean

Credit: Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean takes delivery of Harmony of the Seas

Royal Caribbean takes delivery of Harmony of the Seas

Harmony of the Seas is the world’s largest cruise ship, and its arrival was marked with a traditional delivery and flag changing ceremony in Saint Nazaire, France took place following 32 months of constructions.

Joining the festivities in the ship’s signature AquaTheater were Richard Fain, Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Michael Bayley, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International together with Laurent Castaing, General Manager, STX France.

“Harmony of the Seas is the product of our zealous spirit of continuous improvement, where we have combined revolutionary ship design with the technological strides that have defined the Royal Caribbean brand,” said Richard D. Fain. “Thank you to STX France for their ongoing partnership in building our ships, which continue to introduce unexpected industry innovations.”

Harmony is truly magnificent in every sense of the word, from her architecture and design to the level of care and attention to detail with which our incredible crew are taking to prepare for our first guests,” said Michael Bayley. “The ship is the ‘best of the best’ of what our guests love most about Royal Caribbean, combined with new and thrilling experiences never before found in one place but it is the passion and dedication of our crew that will make everlasting memories for our guests.”

Harmony of the Seas will homeport in Barcelona, Spain and embark on the first of 34 seven-night sailings in the western Mediterranean on June 7, exploring some of Europe’s most beautiful locations. In November 2016, Harmony will arrive at her homeport of Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale, FL., from where she will offer seven-night eastern and western Caribbean sailings. The newest member of the fleet will join sister-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, sailing from Port Canaveral and Port Everglades respectively, on the east coast of Florida.

Royal Caribbean adds perks for Boardwalk and Central Park cabins

Royal Caribbean International said it will add a package of perks for guests in interior-facing cabins on its Oasis-class ships, including the upcoming Harmony of the Seas.

Guests with views of the Central Park neighborhood on Oasis-class ships will get lunch for two at Jamie’s Italian on Harmony of the Seas or Giovanni’s Table on Oasis or Allure of the Seas. They will also get a complimentary bottle of red wine at check-in and perks in the casino.

Those with views of the Boardwalk neighborhood will get lunch or dinner for four at Johnny Rockets, a soda beverage package for two and "private time" on the ship’s rock-climbing wall, Royal Caribbean said.

Royal Caribbean Anticipates Anthem in NYC

Anthem of the Seas

The cruise line announces changes to Anthem, which will begin sailing out of New Jersey’s Cape Liberty Cruise Port in November

Counting down the last months before the 4,180-passenger Anthem of the Seas begins sailing out of Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, N.J., on Nov. 4, Royal Caribbean International executives brought a preview of Anthem to the New York Times Center in New York City this July and offered news across the fleet.

With a performance from members of the cast of “We Will Rock you,” the shipboard production that was compared favorably to London’s West End production, the company stressed its exceptional entertainment. Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean, and Mark Tamis, senior vice president of hotel operations, recounted the innovations on Anthem and across the fleet.

Anthem comes to Bayonne from a season in Europe with high-tech entertainment, from the Northstar glass viewing capsule high above the ship to Ripcord by iFly skydiving to Two70, where live performance merges with technology.

The new Dynamic Dining Choice program allows guests to dine when and where they wish, with the ability to select from among 18 restaurant concepts, including five complimentary main dining rooms, along with specialty dining venues headed up by chefs such as Jamie Oliver, Michael Schwartz and Devin Alexander. Dynamic Dining Classic is designed for guests who prefer traditional set seatings.

Anthem also features the fast, affordable Internet setup Voom, which Bayley described as having more capacity than the entire cruise industry fleet put together. With costs set at approximately $22.50 per day for two devices, the service offers a dramatic a drop in price, as well as its boost in connectivity. It is currently available on Quantum of the Seas, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas and will also launch with next year’s Ovation of the Seas (Quantum-class) and Harmony of the Seas (Oasis-class). 

Harmony of the Seas under construction at STX shipyard in Saint-Nazare (Nantes, France)

Harmony, the largest cruise ship yet, will have a 5,479-passenger capacity and features such as a trio of waterslides — Cyclone, Monsoon and Typhoon — and The Abyss, a waterslide with a 10-story vertical drop. Harmony’s staterooms and suites will all be larger than those on Oasis, and they will include a four-bedroom presidential suite. Royal also has a fourth Oasis-class ship launching in 2018, and a fourth Quantum-class vessel in 2019. 

The line will introduce more inside staterooms with virtual balconies (a video wall projecting a live feed of the ocean outside) across the fleet, according to Tamis. In addition, he said Royal plans to expand the number of studio staterooms for solo passengers and debut connected staterooms for families that can hold up to 10, two-level loft suites and a four-bedroom Penthouse suite. The company also is launching the Royal Suite Class, designed for the luxury market.

Royal has an aggressive plan for fleet revitalization, as well. Liberty of the Seas will homeport in Galveston next year with firsts including a new waterpark and waterslide. Majesty of the Seas’ spring refurbishment will bring a family Jacuzzi, a poolside movie screen, the line’s signature DreamWorks Experience entertainment, a new casino and more. Jewel of the Seas will undergo revitalization in 2016, and details will be forthcoming soon. New dining choices on Majesty will include Mexican fare at Sabor Taqueria, sushi and sashimi at Izumi Japanese and a new Chef’s Table experience.

In addition, the company has a major commitment to install new scrubbers that reduce emissions by 98 percent. 

The land product has not been neglected, either: Royal has grouped its roughly 3,000 shore excursions into special interest categories that allow any travel agent to arrange a themed cruise for clients. These include Active Adventures, Family Connections, Royal Tour Challenge, Culture and Sights, Culinary Delights, Caring Discoveries and Royal Premium Tour Collection.

Concerns from agents that Royal would concentrate on its China market to the neglect of the Americas can be laid to rest with the recent announcements. With all the new builds and upgrades, there is a huge new world of product to sell.

Carnival Vista ship to be energy efficient

While we have no news on the progress on the Carnival Vista ship, we can tell you that she will be an energy efficient cruise ship thanks to her Multi-Effect Plate (MEP) evaporators. This freshwater generating plant uses far less energy than other systems, which is so important not only for our seas, but also to help keep costs down for cruise ship companies.

Many of these companies have been involved with an internal race to outfit their vessels with these MEP high efficiency evaporators. It comes as no surprise to us that Carnival Cruises has ordered these for the Vista seeing as though Norwegian Cruise Line has ordered them for the duo of Breakaway Plus ships, as well as Royal Caribbean fitting them to the three Quantum class ships.

That is not all, there is a third Oasis class vessel coming, and that two will make use of MEP technology.

There is not much else we can tell you about this upcoming ship, and while we know many of you will wish to know the Carnival Vista deck plans, venues, home port and other such question, you will just have to sit tight. However, with a delivery date of winter 2016, we don’t expect to learn any new details on Carnival Vista until early next year.

New Carnival cruise ship after Vista

It’s been almost a year since news of the Carnival Vista first broke and it was clear to see that there was a lot of excitement for those within Carnival, and also the many faithful customers who keep coming back to the cruise ship company.

Carnival Cruise Line had a very rough few years and mixed with the fact that there was a lack of new ships from the company, and you have a recipe for something that will not go down well with potential customers.

Thankfully, the company has made many new safety changes and also brings news that there is to be another new Carnival cruise ship after Vista, or maybe even two. Both of these are planned to be delivered in 2017, and so we should hear from Carnival very soon if this is in fact true.

Not much is known about Vista at this time, such as its size or tonnage, and we don’t expect to find that out until later this year or early next year, seeing as though Carnival Vista will not enter service until December 2016. However, we can tell you that the first steel was cut four months ago.

It is not yet known where these new Carnival cruise ships will be based, but one has to wonder if they will start to venture outside of North America because of the growing market, although they already do that in a way seeing as though they own Cunard and P&O.

Construction of Carnival Vista began last week when the first steel was cut, which means that over the next few months new details in regard to the Carnival Vista should start to become available. This ship will not set sail until 2016, but at least in that time we will have a greater understanding of what is being called the Fun Ship.

Now that the first piece of steel has been cut the next step will be to start building out the rest of this 135,000-ton, 4,000-passenger ship, which will include the many restaurants, bars and various entertainment facilities.

The Carnival Vista will be the 25th ship in the fleet, so no doubt the cruise line will have a few special treats in store. Again, we do not know much about the new ship because Carnival is keeping design details to themselves for now.

If you had the choice what sort of features would you like to see brought to the Carnival Vista, bearing in mind that the ship will be centred around having fun?

Royal Caribbean orders fourth Oasis-class ship

By Tom Stieghorst

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. said it will move forward with a fourth in its Oasis-class of ships, the largest in the world at 5,400 passengers and 225,000 gross tons.

RCCL Chairman Richard Fain made the announcement at the STX France shipyard in St. Nazaire while there for the keel laying ceremony of the third Oasis-class ship, which is to be delivered in 2016.

The first two ships in the class, the Oasis of the Seas and the Allure of the Seas, have been in high demand since they debuted in 2009 and 2010, respectively. They both sail Caribbean itineraries from Port Everglades.

The fourth Oasis-class ship is scheduled to be delivered in 2018. RCCL hasn't announced where either ship will be sailing after delivery.

Each of the ships costs more than $1 billion to build, but RCCL didn't disclose an exact price for the newly ordered vessel. 

New Oasis from STX France to be 227,700 Tons

ON 23 SEPTEMBER 2013.

Royal Caribbean International cut the first piece of steel today for its third Oasis-class ship, marking the first construction milestone for a vessel that, at approximately 227,700 GRT, will be the world’s largest and most innovative cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean Cruises, Ltd.’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Richard D. Fain and Royal Caribbean International President and CEO, Adam Goldstein together with Laurent Castaing, chief executive officer, STX France, attended the event at the STX shipyard in Saint-Nazaire, France, where the ship will be built.

The cruise line’s third Oasis-class ship is expected to be delivered in mid-2016.

“The Oasis-class ships have fundamentally changed the cruising landscape with the cornucopia of amenities and innovations that can be found onboard,” said Fain. “We are delighted to be offering a third Oasis-class vessel for our guests as well as to be back at STX France after such a long tradition of building amazing ships together.”

“We are excited to once again partner with Royal Caribbean International,” said Castaing, “We have built 12 ships for Royal Caribbean and are extremely proud of the strength of our relationship. Oasis 3 is one of the biggest challenges ever undertaken in the history of our company and our teams are excited and ready to make this a successful project.”

Oasis 3 joins sister-ships Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas which took the cruise industry by storm with their introduction in 2009 and 2010, respectively, featuring a revolutionary design with a split superstructure and the cruise line’s neighborhood concept of seven distinct themed areas. 

“Our Oasis-class ships have led the charge in delivering the WOW for which Royal Caribbean is known,” said Goldstein. “We are delighted to get the building process underway and look forward to the next chapter of this amazing class of ships.”

Details of the third Oasis-class ship will be revealed in the coming months.