Page 23: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1994)

A12-m water taxi plies its trade on the River Thames in London. Similar vessels could be put into service in Manhattan in the future. by

Carol Fulford and Andy Smith,

International Editors

Over the past few years Europe has been dealt its share of the world wide economic recession which has resulted in many Euro- pean ship and boatbuilders, both big and small, struggling to survive.

Breakdown of Eastern Bloc bar- riers, while excellent news on a hu- manitarian level, has also created further problems by increasing strain on Western economies as well as, ironically, creating a doorstep competitor wbich makes up in cheap labor for what it lacks in technology.

This has come at a time when EC politicians, bent on the idealism of a unified Europe, are confronted with nationalistic pride and the inevi- table bickering which arises when any one nation sees itself suffering at the expense of others.

Outside influences have, how- ever, come to the rescue and genu- ine signs of economic recovery can be felt in most countries within the

European continent.

Certain bright spots are bright indeed and even bleak areas have caused yards and in some cases even governments to rally resources in order to win through.

Size, Speed Drive Cruise &

Ferry Market

Perhaps the greatest area of ac- tivity lies in the cruise and ferry sector. Statistics collated by the

Cruise & Ferry Conference Secre- tariat in promoting next year's

London-based event reveal an ex- citing current orderbook for no fewer than 28 cruise ships, 27 large luxury ferries and 81 fast ferries. Although such orders have been placed with yards around the world, European builders have attracted a healthy slice.

Size and speed are criteria which affect design considerations in both vessel types, with currently the larg- est ferry ever built under construc- tion for Stena AB at the Rauma yard of Finnyards, and a wealth of giant sized cruise ships on order at yards in Scandinavia, France, Germany and Italy. In tbe cruise ship mar- ket, size has in fact become all im- portant primarily because the level of investment required to operate a fleet in a cut-throat marketplace can only be sustained at big ship levels.

Speed, obviously important in the ferry sector, has also become a de- sign force in the cruise arena with

P&O's new flagship Oriana, cur- rently nearing completion at Meyer

Werft in Germany, perhaps the first of a new style of vessel capable of 25 knots. Reasoning behind this lies in further increasing the viability of Mediterranean cruises as well as enhancing possibilities for round-the-world cruises. To en- force the trend, Royal Caribbean

Cruise Lines has placed recent or- ders for new vessels which will also possess higher than average ser- vice speeds.

With Oriana in service, P&O will look forward to yet further strength- ening of its fleet with a giant vessel just ordered from Fincantieri in

Italy which will carry 2,500 passen- gers. P&O's American arm Prin- cess Cruises has also ordered two new ships of smaller carrying ca- pacity (1,950) from the Monfalcone yard of Fincantieri, the first—Sun

Princess—scheduled for delivery by the end of 1995.

Sun Princess is being built along- side a diesel-electric cruise ship (as yet un-named) for Carnival Cruise

Lines and the second of the three-vessel Statendam class for

Holland America, Maasdam. The third vessel in tbe series, Rydam, should be delivered by the end of this year.

Despite the Fincantieri order,

Carnival Cruise Lines has, however, placed the bulk of its impressive recent orders with the Finnish yard

Kvaerner Masa: Sensation, the third in the series of Fantasy class pas- senger vessels, was delivered late last year with Fascination and

Imagination currently in build and scheduled for delivery by end 1994 and 1995 respectively.

The French shipyard Chantiers de l'Atlantique at St Nazaire, hav- ing delivered Windward last May to

Kloster Cruise Line, is now active again in the sector building two size- able vessels for Royal Caribbean

Cruise Lines while in Germany,

Meyer Werft in Papenburg boasts another impressive orderbook. With

Oriana close to completion it is now the recipient of a $1 billion project, known as 'Project Century' to build three 70,000 grt cruise ships. The first two are due for delivery in late 1995 and fall 1997 with the third vessel following a year later to bring

Celebrity's passenger carrying ca-

European Market Is Looking Up

HMS Bridport completes the series of Sandown Class minehunters built by Vosper Thornycroft for the

British Royal Navy.

A new hull design, ideally suited to patrol and military applications, is the basis for this Halmatic-built fisheries protection boat.

June, 1994 29