Industry Insider

 

Travel Industry Veteran Dietmar Wertanzl Joins Cruise West

Dietmar Wertanzl has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer for small-ship cruise line Cruise West. He joins the cruise line from Tauck World Discovery, where he served as chief operating officer. Wertanzl replaces Jeff Krida who retired in January 2008.

As President and CEO, Wertanzl will be responsible for overall performance of Cruise West’s business, and will help execute the company's short- and long-term strategies. Richard (Dick) West will continue as Cruise West’s Chairman & Managing Director.

“Dietmar’s depth of knowledge will be extremely valuable to Cruise West,” said West. “The company has grown substantially in the last few years and Dietmar’s leadership and seasoned experience will be invaluable in bringing the company to the next level.”

Wertanzl comes to Cruise West with more than 25 years experience in the cruise and hospitality industry. He served as senior vice president, fleet operations at Celebrity Cruises and managing director of Xpeditions, where he oversaw the line's entire marine and hotel operations and co-created the cruise concept in the Galapagos. He also managed the overall cruise experience and all new-build and refurbishment projects. Before joining Celebrity, Wertanzl held a number of key management positions with Crystal Cruises, Royal Viking and hotel properties in Switzerland.

Pearl Seas Cruises new builds run into problems.
The late delivery of a new cruise ship under construction for its American owner at the Irving-owned Halifax Shipyard has caused the cancellation of a summer sailing schedule and led to a decision not to have a second ship built in Halifax.

Charles Robertson, president of Pearl Seas Cruises of Guildford, Conn., said Tuesday the ship was originally scheduled to be delivered in late May. But he said construction of the 214-passenger ship is behind schedule, and it will not likely be delivered until October.

"I think the shipyard has had unexpected delays and things have taken longer than expected," Mr. Robertson said. "I think probably manpower seems to be an issue. Alberta is competing for manpower with Halifax, so that may be part of it."

The delay in construction of the vessel and the Canadian dollar’s strength have caused Pearl Seas to rethink where a second ship will be built.

"The second ship, as of now, will not be built in Halifax, and we will announce the yard that will build the second ship in April," Mr. Robertson said.

Irving spokeswoman Mary Keith said in an e-mail late Tuesday afternoon that the company had informed Pearl Seas in writing in November that Irving Shipbuilding wouldn’t be building the second ship or doing any other work.

Ms. Keith said confidentiality provisions in the contract with Pearl Seas limited what she could say about the delay, but the company believes it’s in full compliance with its obligations under the contract.

She also said Irving Shipbuilding hasn’t had any labour issues on this or any other project.

Pearl Seas had planned to make its home port in Halifax and had scheduled some sailings in Maritime waters in July and August and planned to cruise up the St. Lawrence in October. Its winter schedule will be in the Caribbean.

"There is a chance we may run one or two cruises in October but it is doubtful, to be frank," Mr. Robertson said. "I do not think there will be a 2008 Canadian season at this point." The vessel is scheduled to cruise Atlantic Canadian waters in 2009.

Pearl Seas began notifying passengers on Monday of the delay and has offered them refunds or rebooking on next year’s sailings. Mr. Robertson said about 85 per cent of those contacted to date were rebooking for next year.

Mr. Robertson said the lost season won’t result in a significant financial loss.

"The loss is mitigated to some extent by provisions in the contract and we are not operating the ship, so it is not that significant a financial loss," he said. "It is more of a disappointment." He would not discuss possible penalties for Irving in the contract because of the delay.

Pearl Seas advised ports and other tourism executives of the matter by e-mail on Tuesday.

Irving had split the work between the Halifax Shipyard and its Woodside facility, where the cabins and other interior work were being done.

Mr. Robertson said construction delays are not uncommon, but his company had been fortunate in the past because ships were built in the firm’s own yard and there was more control of the process. Building the second ship in its own yard is still a possibility.

Despite the delay, Mr. Roberston said the company has sold more tickets than expected for 2008 and 2009, "so from that point it is very encouraging and that makes it even more important that we get the second ship started very quickly."

"Irving will not be able to do that now; they just don’t have the capacity to do it."

Apollo Management files for an IPO
The private equity fund Apollo Management, Owners of Harrah's Entertainment as well Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Oceania Cruises  and 50% owners of Norwegian Cruise Line, have filed for an Initial Public Offering.

Apollo intend to offer some of the shares to the public via the New York stock exchange.  The company hopes to raise $475M through the offering.

Royal Caribbean names vp newbuildings
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. appointed 20-year maritime veteran Christer Schoug as vp newbuildings. He reports to Harri Kulovaara, evp maritime, and will work in the company’s newbuildings office in Miami.
Schoug will be involved in the design and construction of ships within the Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France brands.

He most recently served as md of Stena RoRo, a global shipping and ferry company based in Gothenburg, Sweden. Previously, Schoug held key managerial and executive positions at Scandinavian Ferry Lines in Helsingborg and Kockum Yards in Malmö where he was responsible for the construction, renovation and operations of cargo and cruise-ferry ships.

Earlier, during service in the Swedish navy, Schoug oversaw the maintenance of gas-turbine-powered war ships.