POST-KATRINA CONTRACT

In one of the first major shipbuilding contracts awarded to a US Gulf Coast shipyard since hurricane Katrina devastated the area last year, Rigdon Marine has contracted with Bollinger Shipyards of Louisiana for the construction of ten new platform supply vessels (PSVs). Designed by Guido Perla & Associates of Seattle as the GPA 654 Class, the new vessels will measure 190ft by 46ft, which will provide an increased carrying capacity over earlier designs, and will be diesel-electric driven.  

Ambassadors International of Newport, California, has signed an agreement to acquire American West Steamboat Company from Oregon Rail Holdings of Seattle, Washington.   American West, founded in 1995, operates two sternwheel cruise vessels in North American waters, the 231-passenger Empress of the North and the 150-passenger Queen of the West. Both vessels are expected to operate their previously announced 2006 itineraries as planned but under the management of the Ambassadors Cruise Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ambassadors International.

KITE FLYING REDUCES COSTS

German heavylift operator Beluga Shipping of Bremen plans to install a towing kite system on its 140m multi-purpose carrier Beluga Skysails to see if the concept will lower fuel costs. The kite, which has been developed by Hamburg-based Skysails and can be deployed and taken down automatically, costs about £5,000 to install but may save Beluga 20 per cent of its fuel costs for the 10,000dwt vessel during long voyages across the Atlantic and between Europe and the Far East.

REFRIGERATOR SHIP  

Finland's Containerships, a privately owned shipping line headquartered in Helsinki, has placed a fifth vessel under its banner, the 2006-built Containerships VIII, which has a service speed of 21 knots and 966TEU capacity. The newbuilding joins three others of approximately the same size, and the smaller 2,590dwt, 172TEU capacity Petsamo in the Containerships fleet, which maintains a regular service between Teesport, Tilbury and ports in the Baltic.

KATRINA SHIPS REFURBISHED

Carnival Cruise Lines' cruise ships Sensation, Holiday, and Ecstasy are returning to service after undergoing extensive multi-million-dollar renovations following their charter to the US government for Hurricane Katrina relief support. Holiday spent 20 days at the Grand Bahamas Shipyard in the Bahamas where the ship received a totally redesigned lobby area, with new seating, carpeting and tile work. The vessel's main dining rooms received new ceilings along with updated galley equipment, while the ship's spa facility received new exercise equipment. Holiday has since returned to Mobile, Alabama, to take up year-around sailings to the Caribbean.

FERRYWAYS VOLVO LINK

The 96-trailer Humber Way (1976/9,963gt) made the first sailing of a Ferryways contract shipping Volvo vehicles from Ostend to the Associated British Ports Exxtor Terminal at Immingham. It coincided almost exactly with the first anniversary of the start of the Belgian operator's six sailings a week service by Humber Way and the similar capacity Calibur which has increased to nine weekly visits. By the end of 2006 the Exxtor facility is expected to have handled 24,000 Belgium-built Volvo cars and trucks and Immingham now deals with all Volvo vehicles imported for distribution in the north of the UK.

PRINCESS SWITCHED TO DUTCH ROUTE

There was a change of scenery for the DFDS vessel Princess of Scandinavia (1976/22,528gt). After dry docking from 7 January, she moved from her regular North Shields-Kristiansand-Gothenburg route for a spell on the North Shields-IJmuiden run, at first deputising while Queen of Scandinavia (1981/34,093gt) was overhauled and then continuing after Duke of Scandinavia (1978/19,589gt) stood down for dry docking before moving to Brittany Ferries on a two year charter as Pont l'Abbe. She was due to reopen the Norway-Sweden service on 9 March, the day DFDS introduced the former Val de Loire (1987/31,788gt) on the IJmuiden route as King of Scandinavia.

PRINCESS TO UNIVERSITY

Dream Princess (1970/22,945gt) has been chartered until May by Tulane University of New Orleans from Israeli owners, Caspi Cruises. The ship left Pireaus, where she had been laid up for the winter, on 14 December 2005, called at Gibraltar for bunkers on 19 December and arrived in the Crescent City on 1 January. She is docked at the Orange Street Wharf, providing accommodation for students at the University. On completion of the charter, she will sail for Israel to begin her summer season of Haifa-based cruises in the Eastern Mediterranean.   The 1,076-passenger Dream Princess was Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's first ship, Song of Norway. Sold to Britain's Airtours (later MyTravel) in October 1996 as Sundream, she was acquired by her present owners in October 2004.

CLASS OF 2008

Holland America Line's recently announced $US450 million newbuilding, scheduled for delivery by Fincantieri's Marghera shipyard in summer 2008, will be the first of a new Signature class. HAL has an option for a second in spring 2010 and as its previous Statendam, Rotterdam and Vista classes each produced four sisters, it is likely more will follow. The name of the new class derives from the line's $US 225 million 'Signature of Excellence' programme, aimed at providing a more consistent upgraded product across the fleet. The two 2,044-passenger Signature Class ships represent a 22 per cent increase in Holland America's capacity and at 86,000gt, will be the largest ships ever built by the company.

TO THE RESCUE

The Jamaica Coast Guard has taken delivery of the 42.8m patrol boat Middlesex from Holland's Damen Group for search and rescue (SAR) work in the Caribbean. The steel-hulled, aluminum superstructured vessel is powered by twin Caterpillar 3516B engines developing 5,712bhp at 1,600rpm and driving two controllable pitch propellers through Reintjes reduction gears. This gives a top speed of 26 knots and a range of 1,800 nautical miles at 12 knots.

BERMUDA'S SAIL TRAINER

Bermuda will have its own sail-training ship when, if as expected, the schooner Spirit of Bermuda arrives at the island in May.   The three-master was built at Rockport, Maine.   She is of wood/epoxy construction and has a length of 88ft.   In the same manner as the Jubilee Sailing Trust barque Tenacious, which is built of the same material, Spirit of Bermuda was constructed upside down and was righted on 28 May 2005. The new vessel will be owned by the Bermuda Sloop Associatio.   Captain Chris Blake, master of the Endeavour replica until that vessel ceased ocean voyages last year, has been appointed Captain Designate of the Spirit of Bermuda and has advised on all aspects of her construction and sailing programme.