Industry news
PortMiami and Carnival Cruise Line to launch new cruise terminal
1 February | Ports
Carnival Cruise Line has announced that PortMiami will expand Terminal F, which will function as the homeport of Carnival Celebration, the line’s upcoming Excel-class ship.
Carnival Celebration is currently being built in Finland. It will commence services in 2022.
Carnival Cruise Line and PortMiami held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of the 471,000ft² facility, which will be Carnival’s third terminal at the port and its biggest in South Florida, US.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said: “I’m grateful to Carnival Cruise Line and Lemartec for their partnership with Miami-Dade County. Despite the global pandemic, today’s groundbreaking is another example of the growth happening at PortMiami, the cruise capital of the world, and how together, we can and we will continue to thrive.”
Carnival president Christine Duffy said: “We are proud of Carnival’s role in making Miami the cruise capital of the world, and today marks the continuation of an incredible 50-year partnership with PortMiami and Miami-Dade County.
"This expanded terminal built specifically for Carnival Celebration will make an incredible addition to the existing facilities at our largest embarkation port. My most sincere thanks to Mayor Levine Cava and all of the Miami-Dade officials who made this day possible.”
The terminal will be designed in a way that will enable efficiency and flexibility to lodge Carnival’s newest class of ships.
The embarkation process at the terminal will use technology to facilitate a smooth boarding experience.
Designed by Miami-based Berenblum Busch Architects, the terminal project will involve the demolition of standing Terminal F structures, renovation, and new construction.
Lemartec Corporation, a MasTec firm, will act as the general contractor.
Lemartec Corporation president Manny García-Tuñón said: “Both Lemartec and MasTec, like Carnival Cruise Line, are the classic American dream story, born in Miami. We are proud to have been chosen by PortMiami and Miami-Dade County to build this iconic terminal.”
Carnival Celebration will be equipped with an onboard roller coaster and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) propulsion system.
The new ship will also have 180 suites across 11 different accommodation categories.
18 January | Ship launch
Costa Cruises’ Costa Toscana floats out in Finland
Costa Cruises, the Italian firm of the world’s largest cruise company Carnival Corporation, has floated out its new flagship Costa Toscana from the Meyer shipyard in Turku, Finland.
During the float-out ceremony, Costa Toscana touched water for the first time.
After the completion of the interior fittings, Costa Toscana will commence services from December 2021.
Similar to Costa Smeralda, the vessel is also powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The company said that it is the first in the cruise industry globally to introduce the advanced fuel technology for cutting down emissions, both at sea and during port calls.
Costa Cruises has ordered five new LNG-powered ships, out of which two, Costa Smeralda and AIDAnova, have commenced operations already.
The vessels are part of an expansion plan that includes seven new ships to be supplied to Costa Group by 2023. The value of the total investment is more than €6bn.
Costa Cruises chief commercial officer Mario Zanetti said: “Despite the current challenging scenario, Costa Group is confirming its investment in fleet expansion. We are confident in the recovery of our industry and we are excited about the arrival of new ships like Costa Toscana, which embodies the elements we want to focus on for the future.
The company noted that the new ship has been constructed and designed to be a travelling ‘smart city’.
To reduce the environmental impact, sustainable solutions and circular economy concepts have been implemented on the ship.
The ship features special desalinisation plants that will directly process seawater to meet daily water supply requirements and an intelligent energy efficiency system to save energy.
Costa Toscana will make its debut in Brazil in the 2021-2022 season.
15 January | Ship launch
Fincantieri launches Silversea Cruises’ new ship in Italy
Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri has floated out Silver Dawn, Silversea Cruises’ new ship, for the first time at its Ancona shipyard in Italy.
The company said that it will now commence the fitting out phase where the Fincantieri’s craftspeople will work on the interior of the vessel.
Silver Dawn is scheduled for delivery in November 2021.
With the delivery of Silver Moon and Silver Origin last year, the new vessel will be the tenth addition to the fleet of ultra-luxury cruise line Silversea.
Silver Dawn will have nearly 298 ocean-view suites, accommodating approximately 596 passengers.
Silversea Cruises president and CEO Roberto Martinoli said: “We proudly celebrate this major milestone in the build of our beautiful new Silver Dawn.
“Our long-term collaboration with Fincantieri continues to push boundaries in the ultra-luxury cruise industry, while the ongoing support and expertise of the Royal Caribbean Group has been invaluable to the ship’s build. While Silver Dawn takes influence from our beloved ships Silver Muse and Silver Moon, our guests will benefit from many pioneering enhancements aboard the tenth ship in our fleet. We look forward to revealing these in the coming months.”
Fincantieri merchant ships division general manager Luigi Matarazzo said: “Based on the very successful design of Silver Muse, Silver Dawn is the fourth ship we will have built for Silversea. For a shipbuilder there can be no better acknowledgement than the one of a demanding and prestigious owner who welcomes innovation with enthusiasm.”
In 2018, the order for Silver Dawn was placed as the third Moon-class vessel.
Earlier, Fincantieri built Silversea’s Silver Muse at its Sestri Ponente (Genoa) shipyard in April 2017 and Silver Moon, which was supplied in Ancona in October last year.
In brief
Pakistan to commence Gwadar shipyard project
Pakistan has announced that it is set to commence the construction of a new shipyard in Gwadar, a port city in Balochistan. The new shipyard is expected to boost commercial shipbuilding and repair industry, create employment and promote economic growth, reported Gulf News.
ABS introduces smart solution for sustainable naval operations
American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has introduced a comprehensive digital sustainability solution, named Environmental Monitor, to help shipowners accomplish their sustainability goals. The company said that the new technology will be an essential part of its My Digital Fleet risk management platform.
Port of Antwerp installs Zensor’s Bollard Monitor
Belgium’s Port of Antwerp has installed smart bollards with sensors to enhance safety at the quay walls. Bollard Monitor, a digital sensor that calculates the tension on a bollard, has been developed by technology company Zensor.
13 October | Cruise ship
Researchers develop new system to measure ship underwater noise
Researchers from the University of Strathclyde in Scotland have developed new equipment that can measure underwater noise generated by vessels.
The underwater radiated noise (URN) created by the military, oil and gas industry, and shipping traffic poses danger to marine life.
At its Convention of Migratory Species in 2018, the United Nations addressed the issue and called for more development and research on the consequences of the URN.
It also requested that countries decrease ocean noise where possible.
Called HyDrone, the new equipment is a waterproof aerial drone fitted with a SoundTrap hydrophone recorder, which can measure the URN produced by the propulsion systems of marine craft.
The equipment has been developed by professors Patrick Fitzsimmons and Mehmet Atlar of the Department of Naval Architecture, Ocean and Marine Engineering (NAOME).
With the SoundTrap hydrophone suspended below, HyDrone can land and float in the sea.
Professor Mehmet Atlar said: “Like carbon emission, increasing emission of URN from ever-growing commercial shipping traffic in the world’s ocean has become a life-threatening danger to living mammal and fish whose communications, feeding, breeding, and day-to-day affairs are adversely affected by URN emission.
“The international and EU regulatory authorities like the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and the EU have started campaigns and launched research programmes to mitigate and prevent this harmful environmental impact.”
The device can also reduce extraneous background noise, affecting outdated weighted-line systems, where a hydrophone is tied to a buoy or support ship.
HyDrone will feature an aerial platform, which will enable it to move quickly to sites from 5m to 1.5km from the target vessel.
It can be recovered quickly without requiring the ship to rest to recover the alternative, heavier in-water drone or buoyed systems.
Moreover, HyDrone has an on-board, low-light camera amplified with a more deeply immersed lightweight camera, which can quantify temperature and salinity.
Recently, trials were conducted off Blyth in Northumberland where Princess Royal, a ship designed by Professor Atlar, was used as the target ship.
HyDrone was tested after being immersed at 10m against a standard vertical array of tied hydrophones. The system will be commercially available in the future.
