By
Rebecca Gibson |
V.Ships Leisure, a supplier of management and outsourcing services to the maritime leisure industry, has been appointed as technical manager of Lüftner Cruises’ luxury river cruise ship Amadeus Symphony.
V.Ships Leisure, which previously managed a fleet of seven US-flagged ships for Majestic America Line, will offer both technical, crew and hotel operation services to the Austrian cruise company as part of its expansion strategy. The subsidiary of V.Group will manage the 146-passenger Amadeus Symphony from its Monaco office, with the possibility of managing a second vessel next year.
“V.Ships Leisure will provide, as part of its services, a customised river safety management system which introduces voluntary procedures similar to the mandatory procedures on oceangoing vessels,” said Per Bjornsen, commercial director of V.Ships Leisure. “This represents a key milestone for V.Ships Leisure and the river cruise industry where the potential for increased efficiency, safety and economies of scale are at the forefront of both owners and ship managers.”
Lüftner Cruises, which operates a fleet of luxury river cruise ships throughout Europe, entered into the contract to improve its efficiency and allow it to focus on other operations.
Dr. Wolfgang Lüftner, founder and owner of Lüftner Cruises, added: “We are particularly interested in learning from V.Ships Leisure’s experience of the ocean cruise industry and general experience in areas like crew, safety, quality and project management of refurbishments.”