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Oceania Cruises did not spare its newest ship from a fleetwide refurbishment program originally developed to inject new life into its oldest and smallest ships. Sirena, which launched in April 2016, has emerged from dry dock with completely redesigned cabins and suites, refreshed public spaces and new artwork throughout. All 342 cabins and suites onboard received new decor, fixtures and technological upgrades, including new entry doors, full-length mirrors and 100-volt outlets on each side of the bed. Additionally, the public spaces were redesigned, while crystal chandeliers were added throughout the ship. Sirena's spa also received new wall sconces.

The "Dank Silver" struck the Sunshine Bridge in St. James Parish, Louisiana, on June 16, 2019. The Coast Guard New Orleans received a report about the accident at 1:30 p.m. The vessel was heading down-bound from Burnside, Louisiana, and was moored at Grande View Anchorage, Louisiana, 1,5 hours after the accident to assess any damages after the allision. There have been no reported injuries or pollution. The cause of the incident was under investigation. The traffic could be released for traffic at 3.45 p.m. after an interruption of two hours. The fenders had prevented it from being damaged. Reports with photos and video: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/article_c0a67e94-9073-11e9-b9a2-233db921aa57.html http://www.wbrz.com/news/the-sunshine-bridge-closed-in-both-directions-due-to-tug-boat-collision

Liebherr, a provider of cargo handling solutions, has announced its delivery of two LHM 550 mobile harbour cranes to East African port operator Maputo Port Development Company (MPDC). The Port of Maputo, located in the capital city of Mozambique, is one of the most important transhipment hubs in the region, handling all types of goods passing through East Africa. In order to support the significant growth of the facility, central port operator MPDC has decided to invest further in Liebherr’s LHM 550 cranes, following an initial order for two units in 2015.

During 2018, Haifa Port welcomed around 120,000 passengers. In 2019, it is expecting double this figure. This dramatic growth is on par with the overall tourism boom in Israel due in large part to daily flights from many destinations in Europe, North America and Asia. That said, according to Zohar Rom, Haifa Port spokesman and cruise manager, the number of tourists arriving by sea is still falling far short of the port’s potential.

Disney Cruise Line has revealed upgrades to Disney Wonder, which include a New Orleans-style venue, that will debut on a September 2019 voyage from Vancouver to San Diego -- just in time for the ship's spring 2020 season sailing from the Louisiana homeport. The New Orleans-inspired lounge will be modeled after the French Quarter and feature live music and themed activities for all ages. Designed to bring the setting of "The Princess and the Frog" to life, the lounge will complement the existing Tiana's Place restaurant onboard.

Beached at Aliaga 12.06.19 https://www.instagram.com/p/ByweHJlgxXc/

Transocean Cruises’ Astor arrived at Columbus Cruise Center Wismar, Germany on 5 May, marking the city’s first-ever turnaround call. The 578-passenger ship, which sails as part of the Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ fleet, arrived after a voyage through the Baltic Sea, allowing 334 passengers to disembark and 396 new passengers to embark before setting off on her next trip. The Columbus Cruise Center Wismar was well-prepared for its first turnaround call, handling all passengers according to International Ship and Port Facility Security standards.

Singapore’s PSA International, one of the world’s largest terminal operators, has won its first concessions on the eastern seaboard of North America. The company has finalised an agreement to acquire Halterm Container Terminal in the Port of Halifax, Canada, and Penn Terminals in Pennsylvania, US from Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets. The transaction is in the process of securing regulatory approvals from the respective USA and Canadian authorities. PSA beat out stiff competition from Canadian National Railway and CMA CGM for the Halifax terminal.

On June 15, 2019, the "Diamond Highway" caught fire near Recto Bank (international name: Reed Bank). The Philippine Coast Guard received a report from a foreign counterpart that the vessel was still on fire as of June 17, 1:40 p.m. The vessel with 25 crew members on board was bound from Singapore to Batangas. The vehicles carrier "Canupos Leader" (IMO: IMO: 9367607) rescued the crew and was now heading to Laem Chabang to drop them off. The patrol vessel BRP "Cabra" was preparing to fight the fire on the "Diamond Highway". On june 17 the Offshore tug "Lewek Hydra" (IMO: 9503043) was tasked with salvage which was to be carried out by Nippon Salvage.

Experts of the Spanish Ardentia Marine prepared the "No. 5 Elbe" for raising. Divers have fixed lifting bags a the hull with a lifting capacity of five tons each. Julian Matzner of the Stiftung Hamburg Maritim coordinated the works. With the low tide at 11 p.m. the lifting sacks were filled with compressed air, while pumps started removeing the water from the ship. In the early morning it was floating again and secured at the quay in the Schwinge estuary on June 17 at 1 a.m. After further investigations it was planned to lift the wreck with a floating crane onto a barge and transport it to Hamburg for thorough surveys. German reports with photos and video: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/Bergungsarbeiten-der-No-5-Elbe-gehen-voran,lotsenschoner178.html?fbclid=IwAR1ed84RDDF1V8B7nTT_H5ANjGshpW1VWbsc4s2wf8huEz_OBfiBwmJojlA https://www.tageblatt.de/lokales/blaulicht_artikel,-Bergung-der-No-5-Elbe-Schiff-schwimmt-wieder-_arid,1447413.html https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/hamburg/No-5-Elbe-wieder-an-der-Oberflaeche,lotsenschoner186.html

The German port of Kiel has installed an emission-free onshore energy supply at its Norwegenkai pier. The new facility will provide Color Line’s cruise ferries with electric power on their daily trips between the German city and Oslo, Norway. “Together we are making an important contribution to keeping the air clean,” said Daniel Günther, Minister-President of the state of Schleswig-Holstein. “By using onshore power, we are reducing the emission of harmful substances and greenhouse gases while ships are berthed in the port to zero. The state of Schleswig-Holstein supports this trend-setting project and will encourage further facilities of this type.” The Norwegenkai facility, built by Siemens, cost around US$1.4 million, of which around US$450,000 was funded by Schleswig-Holstein. “In future we want to be in a position to use shore-based electricity to cover 60% of the power requirements of ships calling at Kiel,” said Dirk Claus, managing director of the Port of Kiel.

Indian conglomerate Adani Group has won a 50-year concession to develop an 800,000 teu a year box terminal in the southwest of Yangon. Ahlone International Port Terminal (2) (AIPT) will be situated 50 km up the Yangon river from the Andaman Sea where the depths are 9 m quayside allowing ships of up to 1,500 teu to call. The $290m facility will be spread across 50 ha. Its first phase, due for completion late next year, will have an initial 150,000 teu annual capacity. Phase two, which will take an additional six months to construct, is expected to take the port’s total capacity to a maximum of 800,000 teu.