In a possible attempt to make a profound statement, Norwegian Cruise Line announced today that modern art pop icon, Peter Max, has been commissioned to design the hull artwork for the line’s newest ship, Norwegian Breakaway, scheduled for delivery in April 2013. This is the first time Norwegian has asked a well-known artist to paint the hull artwork on one of its ships. The company also announced today that the ship will homeport year-round in Max’s hometown, New York City.

Although this may be a first for Norwegian Cruise Lines, this is not the first for the maritime industry.  In 2006, Osaka Gas commissioned Comedian-turned-painter Jimmy Onishi to design monster-sized psychedelic murals for their 950-foot LNG vessel Dreamtanker and countless other companies have experimented with hull art, most with insipid – or plain ugly – results.

But banality is not a signature of Max who is know for his eccentric use of colors and patterns, a psychedelic style of art referred to in the art community as “Cosmic Brownies”. He has also been called a Pop Icon, Neo Fauvist, Abstract Expressionist and the United States’ “Painter Laureate.” Some experts refer to him as this country’s greatest living artist but like the ship itself, Max was not born in American. As a German Jew born in 1937, he and his family escaped the Nazis in 1938, arriving in America after first living in Shanghai, Israel and Paris…. experiences which greatly enriched Peter’s appreciation of art.

“Since Norwegian Breakaway will be making her home in New York, we felt it was fitting to ask the artist best associated with New York, Mr. Peter Max, to paint the ship’s hull,” said Kevin Sheehan, Norwegian Cruise Line’s chief executive officer. “I am a huge fan of his work and know that the art he creates for Norwegian Breakaway will make the ship instantly recognizable.”

While many artists would scoff at the idea of painting a big, box-shaped, steel ship, Peter Max is excited by the idea. “I love painting large canvases.” He said. ” I’ve painted a plane and a stage for Woodstock, but never a ship. I love ships and have travelled on them many times in my life. To see my artwork floating on Norwegian Breakaway out at sea will be a dream come true.”

Peter Max

Max has achieved his place in history having painted for various Heads of State, including six U.S. Presidents. From art that appeared on the first U.S. 10-cent stamp bearing the title “Preserve the Environment,” to 235 U.S. Border murals greeting millions of people entering America each year, Peter Max seeks to capture themes of America at its finest in his art.

Max also has a long-standing career turning commerce into works of art. Currently his art appears on a Boeing 777 jumbo jet currently flying the skies for Continental; a 600-foot stage for the Woodstock Music Festival; the covers of Verizon’s New York City yellow and white pages; and a giant mural unveiled at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Max has also been the Official Artist of five Super Bowls, six Grammy Awards, The World Series, the United Nations Earth Summit, and numerous other countless other events.

The 144,017 ton vessel is reported to have 4,000 passenger berths and was named with the idea to give passengers a “break away” from the routine of work and daily stress to find respite at sea. The Norwegian Breakaway’s sister ship, Norwegian Getaway, scheduled for delivery in April 2014 but has yet to be assigned a city.

The ship also comes with the support of New York politicians which have been actively recruiting more ships since signing a homeport agreement with Disney Cruise Line in April. The Breakaway will dock at the 50th Street Cruise Terminal in Manhattan and, as the largest cruise ship to ever call the city home, is estimated to bring to New York over 40,000 passengers and and $35 million in direct spending over the next two years.

“It boils down to one word, jobs” said New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. “By making New York City home to its newest and largest ship, Norwegian Cruise Line is further confirming our standing as a top cruise destination and a place that tourists from around the world want to visit.”

Each new ship is 143,500 GT (gross tonnage) and will be able to carry more than 4,000 passengers, which makes them the biggest cruise liners ever built in Germany.

The order includes power generation and distribution systems, thruster motors, and two 17.5 megawatt (MW) propulsion systems including transformers, drives and Azipod^® XO propulsion units. ABB’s energy efficient Azipod propulsion uses less fuel than traditional systems, and provides better maneuverability in all operating conditions.

The ships are scheduled for delivery and commissioning in the spring of 2013 and 2014.

Photo By Tunnelbug

In a new twist on the story of the S/S Independence, the EPA has issued a federal complaint for the illegal export of PCB’s. You may remember that while en route to ship breakers Hawaii had banned the ship from docking for fear the ship would be arrested on similar charges and left to decay in the island state. The Environmental News Service tells us:

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a federal complaint against Global Shipping and Global Marketing Systems, Inc. for distribution in commerce and export of materials containing PCBs on the old cruise liner MV Oceanic, formerly the SS Independence.

The ship is being sent by Global to be scrapped overseas, the EPA declared. The MV Pacific Hickory is towing the MV Oceanic to its final destination.

Fines against these two companies may be assessed up to $32,500 per violation per day.

“Federal law prohibits companies from exporting PCBs, including those in ships, that are sent overseas to be scrapped,” said Rich Vaille, associate director for waste program enforcement in the EPA’s Pacific Southwest region. “When companies illegally export PCB waste, they are circumventing U.S. requirements for proper disposal. PCB waste must be properly disposed to protect public health and the environment.”

“The EPA was not informed by Global of their intention to export the ship for disposal. The previous owners, Norwegian Cruise Lines, bought the ship through a wholly owned subsidiary with the intent to put it into service in the United States. The paperwork showing that Norwegian Cruise Lines had sold the vessel to Global was not submitted to the Maritime Administration until the ship had already sailed,” the EPA said.

The Basel Action Network, a global toxic trade watchdog organization based in the United States, in February alerted the EPA to the “quiet departure” of the Oceanic from San Francisco Bay on February 8 for the stated destination of Singapore.

Export of PCB materials from the United States is a violation of EPA’s Toxic Substances Control Act, said Vaille. Vessels such as the MV Oceanic, which was built in the early 1950s, were commonly constructed with PCB-containing materials including cables, electrical equipment such as capacitors and transformers, watertight seal material, and painted surfaces.
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For the “Last Tour” of the Indy head over to Telstar Logistics.

First we witnessed trouble for the Hawaii Superferry (which is back in service) now Hawaii’s largest source of jobs for U.S. mariners, Norwegian Cruise Lines, is pulling another ship out of the state. The Mercury News tells us;

Last week, NCL announced it will pull the Pride of Aloha, the ship that launched its Hawaii itinerary in 2004, effective May 11.

Earlier this month, NCL’s Pride of Hawaii made its final sailing before being deployed to Europe, a move announced last April. It will be renamed Norwegian Jade.

NCL officials insist they remain committed to the Hawaiian market – Pride of America sailings were recently put on sale through 2010 – but filling three ships consistently for seven-day sailings was too difficult in a competitive field.

Andy Stuart, the line’s executive vice president of marketing, called the move “an extremely difficult but necessary commercial decision.” He also acknowledged that NCL’s costs were considerably higher because its U.S.-flagged ships must be filled by a U.S. workforce. Foreign-flagged ships typically pay their crews lower wages. Continue Reading…