Ship building firm STX Finland is to reduce its headcount after it failed to clinch a one billion-euro ($1.33 billion) cruise ship order, the Finnish Metalworkers' Union said on Wednesday. "The financial situation and the loss of the Sanctuary cruise ship order to France means the company's fixed costs have to be reduced by 30 percent," the union said in a statement. A union representative, Jari Aalto, said talks over job cuts would begin on January 8. STX Finland has around 2,200 employees, and "several hundred" jobs are at risk, he added. The Finnish government had turned down a request from the troubled company for a 50 million-euro loan to help it secure the order.

STX France SA signed on Dec. 28, 2012 a contract for building a cruise ship intended for Royal Caribbean International (RCI - subsidiary of RCCL) fleet. Third ship of the OASIS class, this ship featuring outstanding dimensions is due for delivery in mid-2016. An option for a second ship due in mid-2018 is also provided. With 361 metres long and 66 metres wide, this ship is one of the biggest ever built in Saint-Nazaire. Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas are indeed the largest and most revolutionary cruise ships in the world. Architectural marvels at sea, they span 16 decks, encompass 225,282 gross registered tons, carrying 5,400 guests at double occupancy, and feature 2,700 staterooms.

Veteran shipbuilder Martin Saarikangas is confident that Royal Caribbean's third Oasis-class ship will be built at STX's Turku shipyard despite recent reports of an impasse between Royal Caribbean and the Finnish government in regard to financing the project. The newspaper Turun Sanomat reported on Friday that the Finnish government's economic policy rejected a proposal for funding. Royal Caribbean is said not to have given up, but is still searching for a financial solution. Royal Caribbean announced in October that it was pursuing the possibility of ordering a third Oasis-class ship.

TUI Cruises announced on Nov. 7, 2012 that the company confirmed the order of a second cruise ship from STX Finland. The production of the second ship will start in summer 2013 and it will be delivered from STX Finland's Turku Shipyard in spring 2015. The sophisticated and highly innovative 99,300 GRT cruise ship will be approx. 294 metres long and approx. 36 metres wide. The ship will have 1,250 staterooms, serve 2,500 passengers and have a crew of 1,000 persons. The cruise ship will have many environmentally friendly features, with a particular emphasis on the vessel's energy efficiency.

The float-out of M/S Viking Grace, an environmentally friendly new generation cruise ferry, being built for Viking Line was performed at STX Turku Shipyard on Friday 10 August 2012. The float-out ceremony was witnessed by representatives of Viking Line, STX Finland and the classification society Lloyd’s Register, invited guests and members of the press.

Swiss-Italian operator MSC Cruises will take delivery of the 140,000-tonne giant -- the largest cruise ship ever ordered by a European operator -- in March next year, the firms said at a joint news conference in Paris. The 333-metre (1093 feet) ship is longer than the Eiffel Tower is tall and can house 4,335 passengers and 1,388 crew in 1,751 cabins. Geneva-based MSC has decided to call her the MSC Preziosa. She was initially ordered in 2010 by the Libyan state shipping firm GNMTC, but payments to STX ended during last year's Libyan revolution, when Kadhafi's 42-year-old regime was overthrown by NATO air power and popular militias.

STX France SA, part of STX Europe AS, has received an order to build two luxury cruise ships from Viking Ocean Cruises, an affiliate of Viking River Cruises. The vessels will be delivered in spring 2014 and spring 2015, respectively, and will be part of Viking's new Ocean Cruise brand. An option for a third ship is being considered, the shipbuilding group said Wednesday. The vessels will be operated primarily on the Mediterranean seas and be dedicated mainly to Viking's US, British and Australian customers. The vessels will have a length of 230m and a width of 26.5m. They will each include 888 passengers in 444 cabins with a complement of 444 crew members. The contract will represent about 2.5 million man-hours. Construction is expected to start in mid-September 2012 for the first vessel and in mid-September 2013 for the second vessel. The contract is subject to financing.

As MarineLog reports, STX Finland Oy and Norway's Eide Marine Semi AS, a subsidiary of Eide Marine Services A/S, have signed a contract worth more than EUR 300 million for the outfitting, completion and delivery of two highly sophisticated well intervention vessels . In December last year, Lupatech SA of Brazil announced that it had signed contracts worth $899 million with Eide Marine Semi AS for the chartering of two vessels for light workover services, including crew and operation of the vessels, to provide services under contracts signed by Lupatech with Petrobras. More at www.marinelog.com...

STX France SA, a 66.66 percent owned subsidiary of STX Europe AS, has rescinded the contract with GNMTC (General National Maritime Transport Company) - the state owned Libyan shipping company - for the construction of a 140,000 GT cruise vessel for delivery end-2012. SRX Europe says the reason for the rescission is the default of payment from GNMTC, MarineLog reports. STX France says it is confident that it will be able to find a new buyer for the vessel. Due to insurance cover for such an incident, the rescission is expected to have limited impact on the financial results of STX France.

Wärtsilä, the marine industry's leading solutions provider and systems integrator, has been contracted by the STX Finland shipyard in Turku, Finland, to supply the main engines for a new multi-purpose cargo vessel. STX Finland is part of the international STX Europe Group. The ship is being built for Meriaura Ltd., a Finland-based provider of sea transport services for industrial products and general cargo. The onboard fuel system is prepared for regular operation with LBF, and the sea acceptance trials for the owner are to be conducted using liquid bio-fuel. The new vessel, the 'Aura II', is a deck carrier scheduled to be delivered in spring 2012. This will be the first installation ever where a European commercial shipping operation is going to permanently use LBF as fuel.