By Brenda Goh SHANGHAI, July 25 (Reuters) - European shipbuilders' dominance in the $117 billion passengership industry may come under threat as Chinese rivals move into the sector to tap booming local demand for cruise holidays. China's government has earmarked cruise shipbuilding as a major objective in its "Made in China 2025" programme to upgrade its domestic … [Read more...]
Pandas and Beauty Queens Lure Chinese Groups to Cruise Ships
By Bloomberg News (Bloomberg) -- Liu Jing wakes at 7, feeds her 84-year-old mother and two-year-old grandson and then spends the day watching the boy play in the playground, with breaks for meals and his afternoon nap and perhaps a little TV in the evening. That’s not unusual for a Chinese retiree, many of whom play an instrumental role in raising grandkids, but Liu, 57, is … [Read more...]
Even a Thriving French Shipyard Town Falls Under Le Pen’s Spell
By Gregory Viscusi (Bloomberg) -- The heart of Saint-Nazaire’s economy can be seen from almost anywhere in town: The MSC Meraviglia cruise ship towers over the French port from the STX shipyard where it’s being built. The Korean-owned company’s order books are full for the next decade. With shipyards and aerospace factories booming from export production, Saint-Nazaire … [Read more...]
SunStone Signs Agreement for Four Expedition Cruise Ships
Miami-based SunStone Ships has announced that it has signed a Framework Agreement with China Merchants Industry Holdings for the construction of four ice-class expedition vessels to be built in China. The agreement includes options for up to ten total vessels. Sunstone Ships is provider of expedition vessels to the cruise and travel industry by tonnage, with a fleet of … [Read more...]
Noble Caledonia Cruise Ship Rams Pristine Coral Reef
(TheGuardian) One of the main coral reefs at Raja Ampat, an Indonesian island chain home to perhaps the world’s richest marine biodiversity, was severely damaged this month when a Bahamian-flagged cruise ship smashed into it at low tide, according to an official report. The 90-meter Caledonian Sky, owned by tour operator Noble Caledonia, ran aground in an uncharted shoal in … [Read more...]
Jet Skiers Nearly Run Over by Giant Cruise Ship – Amazing Rescue Caught on Camera
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdxZ_eZCALI Some amazing footage out of Port Canaveral, Florida this weekend after two jet skiers fell into the water right in the path of giant Carnival cruise ship. Luckily for the two women a Brevard County sheriff was right there to pull them to safely as the cruise ship bore down on them. The incident occurred Saturday as the Carnival … [Read more...]
Cruise Giants Skip South Korea Amid Missile Defense System Deployment
BEIJING/SHANGHAI, March 9 (Reuters) - Global cruise giants Carnival Corp and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd will cancel South Korean port visits from their China-based cruises after Seoul deployed a U.S. missile defense system, raising tensions between the two countries. In a post on its Chinese website, Royal Caribbean said it would remove visits to popular South Korea sites … [Read more...]