Insolvency proceedings started for nicko cruises

[notamermaid]

The river cruising market has been changing quite dramatically over the last few years. More and more ships serving the foreign incoming market, that is to mean you folks coming over the pond or the channel to cruise in (mainly) Europe and fewer people with their home in mainland Europe who feel like travelling on river cruise vessels in Europe.

 

Nicko Cruises, a Germany-based company, is in insolvency proceedings. I am actually quite surprised as they seemed to provide good quality, "middle range" cruises. They are not comparable to luxury cruising, but I would not call them a budget line either. Some of the ships they charter are considered luxury vessels.

 

Apparently, as explained in the company statment online, it has been a tough two years for the company, with the floods of 2013 and the "happenings" in the Ukraine and Russia in 2014, which are still ongoing to some extent.

 

Nicko tours operates mainly "older" vessels, including two of the grand old KD fleet, the Alemannia and the Britannia. They have even taken over a former Viking owned ship.

 

The cruises that are running are clearly announced online.

 

We will just have to wait and see what the outcome of the proceedings will be.

 

notamermaid

Edited June 12, 2015 by notamermaid
Additional information

[remydiva]

Notamermaid...was it the Alemannia you were telling me on another thread that was the renamed KD Deutschland that I sailed on in 2001?

 

If so, she was a great old ship....sorry to hear this news.:(

[notamermaid]

Hello remydiva,

 

yes it is the renamed Deutschland. I think I am not supposed to link foreign language pages, but here goes for your special memories:

 

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alemannia_%28Schiff%29

 

She is a grand ship of the old fleet, now classified as middle-class as regards comfort and amenities. In her youth she was among the biggest then cruising: 110m x 11,60m.

 

Nowadays the big ships are longer, but still no wider, a wider one would not fit in the locks.

 

In the section "Geschichte" you can read that she used to sail Rotterdam - Basel while belonging to KD. Then the ownership changed (in slightly complicated fashion with change of country registration) and she sailed as a Viking cruise ship. nicko tours still uses her on the Rhine and Moselle. I hope they will continue to do so.

 

notamermaid

[notamermaid]

Nicko is out of insolvency and has been sold to a Portuguese company. What actually happened is this: Nicko tours as a legal entity is defunct. Mystic Invest SGPS, SA has bought the brand name and has taken over to operate most ships nicko used. The brand name is in the subsidiary nicko cruises Flussreisen GmbH operating from its seat in Germany.

 

The Alemannia is no longer part of their fleet. DCS Touristik has chartered the Alemannia for this season.

 

What differentiates the nicko catalogue from luxury American cruise lines - apart from a certain level of luxury and a general all-inclusive aspect - is the fact that they have itineraries on the rivers Neckar and Saar. They also operate ships that can sail as far as Prague which I have mentioned in another thread. On the Elbe they also do a tour downstream to Hamburg and vice versa.

 

notamermaid