seatec - Finnish marine technology review 1/2009 | Page 4

PUBLISHER PubliCo Oy Pälkäneentie 19 A FI-00510 Helsinki Finland Phone [phone] Fax [phone] [email protected] www.publico.com EDITORIAL COORDINATOR Mirkka Rytilahti editorial seatec 1/2009 EYE OF THE STORM The cruise business is looking at some rocky waters ahead. While the shipyards are booked solid for the next three years or so, orders for new ships have been put on hold. After all, the industry is especially interesting in the sense that the making of the end-product takes a PROJECT MANAGER long time − and the world around it can change many times over dur- Risto Valkeapää ing the construction. Still, the cruise lines try to gaze into their crystal balls and predict the future, at least to some degree. CONTRIBUTORS Presently, there are 39 cruise ships in the works around the globe, Sami J. Anteroinen Frederik Naumann the most formidable of these being the Oasis class behemoths under construction in Turku, Finland. The Oasis of the Seas, “the world’s most highly-anticipated cruise GRAPHIC DESIGN ship ever”, seems to be living up to the hype. For instance, Royal Car- A5 Plate Media Oy ibbean International announced in December 2008 two additional sailCOVER PHOTO ings for Oasis of the Seas’ inaugural season at the end of the year. Royal Caribbean International However, as most of the cruise-goers come from the US or UK − which have been hit hard by the financial crisis − not that many ex- AD SALES perts predict smooth sails for the industry. According to studies, some Paul Charpentier Phone [phone] Fax [phone] [email protected] cruise fans are now waiting until the last possible minute before book- Risto Valkeapää Phone [phone] Fax [phone] [email protected] age. ing; others are saving money by choosing the nearest port as the embarking point, instead of flying off somewhere to start the sea voyCarnival Corporation has acknowledged that for 2009, occupancy levels for advance bookings are running behind the previous year, with ticket prices for these bookings also at lower levels. And after 2009, PRINTED BY there is the dreaded 2010 − and nobody knows how the new decade PunaMusta Oy, February 2009 will kick off. PubliCo is a member of the European Association of Directory and Database Publishers (EADP), ensuring quality and reliability for advertisers and users. All rights reserved. This publication may not be used in whole or in part to prepare or compile other directories or mailing lists without the written permission of the publisher. Measures have been taken in the preparation of this publication to assist the publisher protect its copyright. Any unauthorized use of the data herein will result in immediate legal proceeding. 2 seatec 1/2009 The cruise lines will not take the hard times lying down, however. Carnival vows it will get through the turbulence, thanks to strong cash flow, solid balance sheet, and secure liquidity position. Throw in things like a low cost structure, and suddenly the outlook doesn’t look all that bad. Royal Caribbean, on the other hand, is eager to use the new situation to conquer new markets. With an unprecedented 22 ships sailing in Europe in 2009, RCCL is clearly serious about winning the hearts, minds and wallets of the Europeans. Strategically speaking, RCCL maintains that the international markets show the greatest growth potential, with Europe and the Mediterranean representing ѡ