Page 30: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (February 2017)

Cruise Shipping: Genting Hong Kong

Rising StarRising Star

Genting Hong Kong is a rapidly growing global travel brand, spreading its wings – literally and ? guratively – into ocean cruise, yacht, river cruise, air and shipbuilding. Maritime Reporter & Engineering News speaks with key ex- ecutives at Genting Hong Kong: Mona Lai, SVP Corporate Communication;

Gustaf Gronberg, SVP Shipbuilding & Marine Operations; and Jarmo Lakso,

Managing Director, MV Werften, for insights on the future growth strategy.

BY GREG TRAUTHWEIN vested most of its holdings in Norwegian Cruise Line

Genting Hong Kong has been an active newsmaker in cussing how each is distinct.

and redeployed the funds received to order two 150,000 the cruise sector during the past year. As a start, for gross tons ships in 2013 with one delivered late 2016 ML Star Cruises is a contemporary cruise line for our readers that may not be familiar with the com- and another to be delivered in late 2017, and these two the Asian market with mostly year-round homeports pany and its brands, can you supply an overview of ships will form the ? eet for a new Asian Luxury brand in Singapore, Hong Kong, Penang, Keelung (Taipei), your activities in the cruise ship owning and cruise named “Dream Cruises.” Genting Hong Kong also Manila and Shanghai. A pioneer in the regional cruise ships building segments.

bought the Crystal Cruises, “The World’s Most Award- industry, Genting Hong Kong was incorporated in Sep-

ML Genting Hong Kong is a corporation principally ed Luxury Cruise Line” in 2015 which have ocean, tember 1993, operating its ? eet under Star Cruises, to engaged in the cruise business along with leisure, enter- river and yacht cruises as well as B-777 with all ? rst take on a bold initiative to grow the Asia Paci? c region tainment and hospitality activities.Genting Hong Kong class seats for luxury world air cruises. Due to the large as an international cruise destination. Star Cruises has is the pioneer in the cruise industry in Asia with two number of orders for cruise ships and limited yards able built its reputation on offering ? rst-rate Asian hospital- ships for the “Star Cruises’ brand in 1993. It acquired to build them, Genting Hong Kong decided to buy three ity throughout its ? eet.

Norwegian Cruise Line in 2000 and introduced a more large German shipyards in 2016, named collectively as Dream Cruises is the ? rst-ever Asian luxury relaxed and free style cruising, multiple restaurants, no “MV Werften” in order to be able to have early delivery cruise line with two new vessels Genting Dream (No- tipping, majority Asian staff and other innovations for of cruise ships for its three brands. vember 2016) and World Dream (November 2017) the cruise industry in North American. With the growth and they are homeport in Hong Kong, Guangzhou and

Can you give a short description of each brand, dis- of the Asian cruise business, Genting Hong Kong di- Singapore. Each Dream Cruise ship have about 150 30 Maritime Reporter & Engineering News • FEBRUARY 2017

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