The Pioneering Spirit

1 May 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  10 minutes

© flickr.com - kees tom/cc-by-sa-2.0

© flickr.com – kees tom/cc-by-sa-2.0

Pioneering Spirit (formerly Pieter Schelte) is a catamaran crane vessel owned by the Switzerland-based Allseas Group designed for the single-lift installation and removal of large oil and gas platforms and the installation of record-weight pipelines. The 382-metre-long (1,253 ft), 124-metre-wide (407 ft) vessel is the world’s largest vessel by gross tonnage and was built in South Korea by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering at a cost of €2.6 billion. It commenced offshore operations in August 2016. Home port is Valletta on Malta.   read more…

The MSC Seaside

1 January 2021 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

© Dickelbers/cc-by-sa-4.0

© Dickelbers/cc-by-sa-4.0

MSC Seaside is a Seaside-class cruise ship currently owned and operated by MSC Cruises. As the lead vessel of the Seaside class, she lends her name to the company’s Seaside class. At 153,516 GT, she would become the largest cruise ship ever to be constructed by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, and the 14th largest cruise ship in the world, behind Norwegian Epic, upon her delivery in December 2017.   read more…

Popeye Village at Anchor Bay

3 July 2019 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  5 minutes

© Frank Vincentz/cc-by-sa-3.0

© Frank Vincentz/cc-by-sa-3.0

Popeye Village, also known as Sweethaven Village, is a purpose-built film set village, now converted into a small attraction fun park, consisting of a collection of rustic and ramshackle wooden buildings. It is located at Anchor Bay, 3 kilometres (2 mi) from the village core of Mellieħa, Malta. It was built as a film set for the production of the 1980 live-action musical feature film Popeye, produced by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions starring Robin Williams. Today it is open to the public as an open-air museum and sea-side resort.   read more…

The Celebrity Solstice

1 November 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  10 minutes

Celebrity Solstice in Civitavecchia © flickr.com - Aah-Yeah/cc-by-2.0

Celebrity Solstice in Civitavecchia © flickr.com – Aah-Yeah/cc-by-2.0

Celebrity Solstice is the lead ship of the Solstice-class of cruise ships operated by Celebrity Cruises. Built by Meyer Werft in Papenburg, Germany, she was floated out on August 10, 2008, and christened by ocean scientist Professor Sharon L. Smith at a ceremony at Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale in Florida on November 14, 2008. She began commercial service on November 23, 2008. Her homeport is Valletta on Malta. The first post-Panamax vessel in the Celebrity fleet, she features innovative interior design and onboard amenities, including an ocean-going live grass lawn, a glassblowing studio, and a 12 deck-high atrium.   read more…

Island of Gozo in Malta

12 April 2017 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General Reading Time:  8 minutes

© ZiYouXunLu/cc-by-sa-4.0

© ZiYouXunLu/cc-by-sa-4.0

Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of Malta. After the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago. The island capital is Victoria with a population of 7,000. Compared to its southeastern neighbour, Gozo is more rural and known for its scenic hills, which are featured on its coat of arms. The island of Gozo has long been associated with Ogygia, the island home of the nymph Calypso in Homer‘s Odyssey. In that story, Calypso, possessed of great supernatural powers, and in love with Odysseus, holds him captive for a number of years, until finally releasing him to continue his journey home.   read more…

The Celebrity Equinox

1 December 2016 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

Celebrity Equinox in San Miguel de Cozumel © Ricraider/cc-by-sa-3.0

Celebrity Equinox in San Miguel de Cozumel © Ricraider/cc-by-sa-3.0

Celebrity Equinox is a Solstice-class cruise ship built by Meyer Werft in Germany. Celebrity Equinox is the second of the five Solstice-class vessels, owned and operated by Celebrity Cruises. She is a sister ship of Celebrity Solstice, Celebrity Eclipse, Celebrity Silhouette and the Celebrity Reflection. Celebrity Equinox entered commercial service for Celebrity Cruises on July 31, 2009.   read more…

Valletta on Malta

13 December 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, European Union, European Capital of Culture, UNESCO World Heritage Reading Time:  6 minutes

Grandmaster's Palace © Zairon/cc-by-sa-3.0

Grandmaster’s Palace © Zairon/cc-by-sa-3.0

Valletta is the capital of Malta, colloquially known as Il-Belt (English: The City) in Maltese. It is located in the central-eastern portion of the island of Malta, and the historical city has a population of 6,966. Valletta is the second southernmost capital of the EU member states after Nicosia.   read more…

The sailing yacht Maltese Falcon

11 July 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: General, Tall ships, Superyachts Reading Time:  5 minutes

© symaltesefalcon.com

© symaltesefalcon.com

The Maltese Falcon built by Perini Navi in Tuzla, Turkey is a ship-rigged sailing luxury yacht, commissioned and formerly owned by American venture capitalist Tom Perkins. It is one of the largest privately owned sailing yachts in the world at 88 m (289 ft), similar to Royal Huisman’s Athena and Lürssen’s Eos. The home port is Valletta on Malta.   read more…

The Europa 2

1 March 2014 | Author/Destination: | Rubric: Cruise Ships, Yacht of the Month Reading Time:  6 minutes

Swimmingpool © Monster4711/cc-by-sa-3.0

Swimmingpool © Monster4711/cc-by-sa-3.0

The MS Europa 2 is a cruise ship operating for Hapag Lloyd. She entered service in May 2013. The first steel was cut on 5 September 2011, the keel was laid on 1 March 2012 and the vessel being launched on 6 July 2012. She was built at the STX Europe shipyard at Saint-Nazaire in France. On 29 April 2013, the vessel was handed over to Hapag Lloyd. She was christened on the 10th May 2013, during the 824th Hamburg Port Anniversary. Europa 2‘s maiden voyage started on 11 May 2013 for 14 nights.   read more…

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