Haimark companies acquired by merchant bank

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MS Saint Laurent, relaunched in 2015

VC2 Capital, a merchant bank and financial advisory firm focused on small and middle market companies worldwide, has acquired Haimark Ltd, Haimark Line, Ltd., Haimark S.A., Ltd. and Haimark Affinity Travel, Ltd.

Based in Denver, Colorado, the Haimark Companies offer luxury, small ship river and ocean cruises for experienced travelers with an interest in geography, culture and history, featuring onboard cultural enrichment and included shore excursions.

Since its inception in 2012, the company has grown to a fleet of 9 river and ocean vessels (in 2016) offering scenic cruising along the rivers of India, Southeast Asia and Peru and its seasonal Cuba and Great Lakes sailings.

In addition to investing internally in expanding the Company's operations, Haimark management will be actively looking for new acquisitions in the luxury travel sector.

source: Cruise Business

More: Bankrupt Haimark Line Cancels All Remaining Cruises (27 Apr 2016)

Haimark launches on the Amazon

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Fast-growing Haimark Ltd. will launch six-night river voyages on the Peruvian Amazon aboard the new 44-passenger RV Amazon Discovery starting Oct. 11.

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Small ship “Saint Laurent" strikes dock. 22 injured.

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Described by one news source as "a freak accident", the 210-berth Saint Laurent charged into a lock gate protector on the Eisenhower Lock at Massena NY while upbound from Montreal to Toronto. At the time, the ship was operating under charter to Paris-based Rivages du Monde and had on board 192 passengers and 81 crew.

Saint Laurent tied up in Montreal

FleetPro Passenger Ship Management, managers of the 4,954grt cruise vessel “Saint Laurent,” report that the ship made contact with a concrete approach wall bumper of the Westbound door of the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, part of the Saint Lawrence Seaway system, at 2115 hrs on June 18.

"The Bahamas Flag vessel, which was on passage from Montreal to Toronto, was carrying a total of 192 passengers and 81 crew members. The passengers are mainly of French and Swiss nationality.

"As a result of the incident, 19 guests and 3 crew members suffered minor injuries and were transferred to Massena Memorial Hospital for treatment. The shipboard doctor was available at all times.

"The vessel remains in safe condition in the lock which is partially drained of water. All shipboard services are fully functional for guests on-board.

"A ship inspection team has been appointed by owners and managers and will attend the vessel to assess the damage, which is limited to the bow area, before any attempt is made to move the “Saint Laurent” out of the lock and onto a berth.

"At all times, the safety of passengers and crew is the absolute priority and owners and managers wish to thank the US Coast Guard and all the local agencies and emergency services who responded in such a timely and professional manner to this unfortunate incident.

"The company will carry out a full investigation onto the events leading up to the allision and cooperate fully with any official investigation."

The ship is operated by Haimark Line, which invested more than $3.5 million to refurbish the ship for this summer season. We have asked Haimark for a statement and will provide that when it's received.

FleetPro is a veteran group, also managing Silver Discoverer and Silver Explorer for Silversea Cruises.

Hans Rood to steer Haimark Fleet

Hans Rood

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Haimark has named Hans Rood, a travel and cruise industry executive with more than 25 years of global cruise and travel experience, to oversee all aspects of its small ship cruise brands.

“Hans has served in key executive management positions at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Royal Caribbean, Cunard/Seabourn, Holland America, Hurtigruten, and FleetPro passenger ship management," said Tom Markwell, managing partner, sales and marketing, on behalf of the Haimark ownership team.

The combined fleet of Haimark exceeds nine river and ocean ships, each accommodating between 24 and 210 guests.

The company will launch three new ships in May, September and October:

Haimark Line, dedicated to soft adventure luxury coastal expedition cruising in North, Central and South America, will launch the 105-cabin MS Saint Laurenton May 30 for its “Historic Saint Lawrence River and America’s Five Great Lakes” inaugural sailing with a nine-night itinerary from Montreal to Chicago.

Haimark Ltd., a five-star all-suite luxury river expedition cruise line, will launch RV Mekong Princess in September 2015 for seven-night itineraries along theMekong River in Cambodia and the Vietnam delta. The spa-focused small river expedition cruise ship will have 12 suites, extensive spa cuisine options, daily morning yoga and tai chi, signature spa experiences and active daily excursions.

Haimark Ltd. will also launch the RV Amazon Discovery, with 22 river view suites and the Rainforest Spa, in October 2015 for six-night explorations along the Peruvian Amazon, with itineraries that offer Zodiac excursions in the company of biodiversity experts.

During his career, Rood has lived in London, Oslo, New York and Miami. Born and raised in The Netherlands, Hans earned a master’s degree from theUniversity of Amsterdam as well as an MBA from New York University and is fluent in several languages.

Visit www.haimarktravel.com

Haimark to acquire Sea Voyager

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Sea Voyager will sail with Haimark as of May 2015 as Saint Laurent

Ship Specifications
Tonnage: GT 4954, NT 1486
Length: 87.27 M
Breadth: 15.24 M
Draft: 4.12 M
Speed: 14 K
Capacity: 110 cabins, 294 persons
Built: 2001
Ship's Registry: Nassau, Bahamas

Haimark Line announced the launch of their newest ship, the Saint Laurent, scheduled to set sail in May 2015. Previously known as the Sea Voyager, the vessel is undergoing a major refurbishment joins the already well-known luxury Haimark fleet and will offer guests the same unique style of cruising they come to expect.

The ship will travel year round with programs in both the North Atlantic Coast and in South and Central America.

“We are extremely proud to unveil our first ocean going vessel and have already sold half of the 2015 departures,” says Tom Markwell, Managing Partner of Sales and Marketing. “We are excited to provide travelers with more choices for small ship exploration in these regions and we have carefully planned itineraries that will excite, educate and enthuse our guests. The ship was designed to create a harmonious and balanced environment with its surroundings, creating tranquility and comfort for travelers on board.”

Travel in the Northern Atlantic includes coastal New England and the Canadian Maritimes and will pass through the waterways of the Bay of Fundy, the St. Lawrence Seaway, Georgian Bay and the Five Great Lakes. The new itineraries include: 10-day, “Canada’s Atlantic Coast and the St. Lawrence Seaway”; 10-day, “The Five Great Lakes – A Freshwater Paradise” and 10-day, “Georgian Bay and The Five Great Lakes.” In addition, the 13-day, “Historic Coastal America” traverses the entire Atlantic Seaboard and will feature many famous and historic US ports along the way.

In South and Central America, the routes include travel from Nassau to Cartagena, Cartagena to San Jose and San Jose to Lima. Passengers will have the opportunity to explore many exciting ports including a guaranteed daytime transit through the Panama Canal and stops on Coiba Island and The Darian Jungle, both UNESCO World Heritage Sites accompanied by a well-trained expedition team and a fleet of newly purchased Zodiac Mock Fives.

Haimark was founded in Breckenridge, Colorado, in 2013, and is a partnership between Marcus Leskovar, an Austrian national, Tom Markwell, a US national, and Hai Giang, a Vietnam national. With more than 70 years of combined experience in the tourism industry, the partners discovered the absence of true luxury ships on the rivers of Southeast Asia, committing their new company to provide a product that would appeal to travelers from around the world, and inspire them to visit some of the world's most fascinating, but rarely visited locations