Cruise ships

Up to 80 percent of cruise trips to Turkey have been canceled due to security concerns, a leading sector representative has stated. 

A new video filmed by a passenger aboard the Carnival Vista provides a new view of the moment the giant cruise ship destroyed a marina as it departed Messina, Italy in August. The new footage shows the moment that the 134.000-ton cruise liner caused a ‘mini tsunami’ destroying the Italian marina in Messina, Sicily, from the mega cruise ship’s point of view.

Greek cruise ship operators are worried of a lasting impact on the sector from an ongoing strike by port workers protesting the sale of the country's biggest port Piraeus to Chinese shipping giant Cosco.

In April Greece agreed the sale of a 67 percent stake in Piraeus Port to Cosco for 368.5 million euros in order to comply with its international bailout terms.

Harmony of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship, set off on Thursday for its first sea trial from Saint-Nazaire, western France. She will return to port in 3 days.
STX France indicated this first sea trial aims mainly to test her electric power plant and propulsion system, as well as maneuverability tests.

Crystal Cruises announced on Jan. 15 that it was canceling stops in Turkey for two upcoming voyages. The company said in a statement that it was canceling visits to Istanbul and the Aegean district of Ku?adas?, which had been planned stops for one of its ships, Crystal Symphony.

The cruise line said it was rerouting the ship "in response to ongoing security concerns."

Iraklio authorities are making special preparations to receive the first cruise ship that will sail into the city’s port in 2016.

The “Costa Luminosa” operated by the cruise company Costa Crociere will arrive next Saturday and port authorities will hold a special reception ceremony for passengers, with Cretan delicacies, a dance group and Minoan-themed events.

1,023 passengers and 557 crew members arrived aboard the Costa Neoclassical cruise ship at Kalamata port on Tuesday morning. Mainly Italian and French people were on the ship that docked at the port under strict security measures  following information by Greek authorities concerning a possible terrorist attack.

Celebrity Cruises have wiped Istanbul out of their routes for 2016 due to limited availability of moorings at port operations.

This eliminates the initially planned overnight stays of Celebrity Reflection and Celebrity Equinox.

Instead, Celebrity Reflection will extend the time spent in Athens on an overnight stay and also call at Chania in Crete and Bodrum in Turkey.

Mediterranean operator Celestyal Cruises is to offer a new seven-day roundtrip from Asia, Turkey in May 2016, aboard the Celestyal Nefeli – the newest addition to the fleet – that will feature three new destinations.

The largest sailing cruise ship in the world Club Med 2 docked at Chios port.

The Club Med 2 was launched in 1992 in Le Havre, France. Her sister ship the Club Med 1 was sold to Windstar Cruises and renamed msy Wind Surf in 1998.