Ports & destinations

Record number of cruise passengers land in Malta in a single day

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 23 July 2015 23 July 2015

Wednesday 22nd July was a busy day at the port of Valletta, Malta. Five cruise ships from five different cruise brands graced the historic natural port with their presence, with over 14,000 passengers onboard and over 5,000 crew members, covering a total quay length of 1.37km.

The MSC Fantasia was the first ship to enter port at 6.00hrs, followed by Zenith, Norwegian Jade, Costa NeoRiviera and Celebrity Equinox.

As was expected, the Valletta Waterfront and the areas around the Cruise Passenger Terminal were a hype of activity. An Inguardia re-enactment courtesy of the Malta Tourism Authority was also organised along the quays, highlighting events happening during the Knights of St John period.

The Hon. Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis, Minister for Tourism said that this is an important day for the tourism industry in Malta as it is testament to the ongoing and proactive collaboration between the various public entities and the private sector that work effectively together to ensure that such huge cruise operations are possible and managed in the most professional and efficient manner, "Today we had the opportunity to showcase the highlights of our Islands to over 14,000 cruise passengers and more than 5,000 crew members that are all potential repeat visitors to the Maltese Islands and who can decide to return to our shores for a longer stay in the near future. Undoubtedly, many of them today shall also be sharing their experiences through social media thereby reaching out to many others who can also be enticed to choose our islands as their next destination of choice."
 
The Hon. Dr. Edward Zammit Lewis concluded by thanking Valletta Cruise Port for all its efforts while stating his confidence that this year will be a record year also on the cruise liners front as both the cruise industry and the Ministry for Tourism are managing to attract further new cruise business to Malta and Gozo.

Stephen Xuereb, Chief Executive Officer of Valletta Cruise Port plc, said that, "Larger ships with a bigger number of passengers, means that we need to be even more proactive in our planning. Thus preparation for such operations starts months in advance. Discussions with different stakeholders are organised to ensure an efficient operation. The logistics and organizational side on land links to the flow onboard in order to avoid backlog or queues of any sort. Considerable investment has gone into resources to handle larger amounts of people, including higher security. The positive reviews by passengers and cruise lines alike are testament to the effort going into making a stay in Malta a positive enjoyable experience. Valletta needs to continue to cater for such peaks in demand with further investment in quay infrastructure in the Grand Harbour area," he concluded.

Dublin Port receives planning permission for the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment Project

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 17 July 2015 17 July 2015

Dublin Port Company last Friday (July 10) welcomed the decision by An Bord Pleanála to grant permission for the Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) Project which will transform Dublin Port’s infrastructure and enable it to service the economy for decades ahead. The project will increase the port’s ability to handle large ships by deepening and lengthening three kilometres of the port’s seven kilometres of berths. It will also deepen the port to provide an entrance channel with a depth of at least 10m.

The ABR Project is the largest single infrastructure development project in the history of Dublin Port. The project is expected to take five years to complete, costing an estimated €230m.

Given the port’s sensitive location at the heart of Dublin Bay and Dublin City, the project was subjected to a rigorous assessment by An Bord Pleanála of possible impacts on the environment generally and specifically on protected Natura sites.

Today’s decision comes as trade volumes continue to rise at Dublin Port with 2015 set to be a record year. New figures show total throughput (imports and exports) rose by 5.0% in the first half of 2015 with imports growing particularly strongly at 5.6% as the domestic economy improves.

As well as being a record year for cargo, 2015 will be a record year for the port’s cruise business with nearly 100 cruise ships bringing 200,000 visitors to Dublin expected for the full year. These include some of the world’s largest cruise ships such as MSC Splendida, Royal Princess and Celebrity Silhouette, measuring up to 333m long. Until now these ships have had to reverse into Dublin Port given their lengths. The ABR Project will allow larger ships to routinely call at Dublin, turn within Alexandra Basin and berth as far upriver as East Link Bridge. This will create a positive economic impact for the city, enhance inbound tourism and contribute to the development of Docklands.

The port is also seeing strong growth in ferry passenger numbers, up 4.8% in the six months to June on routes between Dublin and Britain and between Dublin and France.

Eamonn O’Reilly, Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company said: “I am delighted that An Bord Pleanála has granted Dublin Port planning permission for the ABR Project and to say that we can finance the project immediately. The engineering design works are already at an advanced stage and we expect the first phase of works to be tendered and a contractor ready to start by October 2015.”

"The ABR Project is a complex undertaking that required co-ordinated planning with a range of bodies including Dublin City Council, the National Roads Authority (NRA), the National Transport Agency (NTA), ESB Networks and Eirgrid. I am pleased to say that all of our dealings were positive and supportive. We have achieved strong consensus on how to deliver this major piece of port infrastructure in a way that is compatible with the operations of other major infrastructure providers within and adjacent to the port."

An Bord Pleanála’s planning permission has paved the way for the last remaining steps to deliver the ABR Project in good time. The priority now is for Dublin Port to begin the engineering works as soon as possible.  Against a background of strong growth in port volumes, there is still a window of opportunity in which to carry out major construction works before volumes grow to the extent that the port has to turn some trade away during the construction phase.

To capitalise on this window, Dublin Port’s next focus is on progressing the other consents required from the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government and from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Having liaised with both organisations throughout the planning application, Dublin Port hopes to secure the necessary consents within months.

The ABR Project is the first major project from Dublin Port’s Masterplan 2012 to 2040. While bringing it through the planning process, Dublin Port Company has also been working on smaller projects including a new terminal for imported cars, a new high capacity firewater main and completion of the Alexandra Quay Container Terminal. The redevelopment of eight hectares of land within the port is also underway and Dublin Port Company will shortly lodge a planning application with Dublin City Council to redevelop the port's road network to ensure it has the capacity to handle the doubling in port volumes projected by 2040.

Dublin Port is Ireland’s largest port and is one of 83 core ports on the EU’s TEN-T network. In October 2014, the EU agreed funding of €2.4m towards Dublin Port Company’s costs of bringing the ABR Project through to the point of being ready for construction.1

Following on from this, on 30th June 2015, the European Commission announced further funding of €22.8m for the construction phase of the project. Finally, the project is also under appraisal by the European Investment Bank (EIB) for €100m of long-term debt finance.

Eamonn O’Reilly, Chief Executive of Dublin Port Company said: “The positive decsision by An Bord Pleanála and the financial support from the EU and EIB put us in a good position to commence construction works later this year subject to our gaining the remaining necessary consents from the EPA and the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government.  Bringing large infrastructure projects through to the construction phase is a long, detailed and careful process.  Given our high growth rates, we intend to review our Masterplan 2012 to 2040 in the first quarter of next year and begin to plan the next major development after the ABR Project.”

Carnival Corporation to operate new terminal in Barcelona

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 23 July 2015 23 July 2015

Carnival Corporation & plc today announced it has signed an agreement with the Port Authority of Barcelona to invest more than 30 million euros to build and operate its second private cruise terminal at the Port of Barcelona, which is used by seven of the company's 10 cruise line brands as both a destination and home port. As part of the agreement, the Port Authority granted Carnival Corporation administrative concessions to operate the cruise terminal and all-new parking facility at Europe's largest port and the fourth busiest port in the world.

With the agreement, Carnival Corporation has been granted approval to begin the final design process and start construction of the new terminal in 2016. Scheduled to open as early as 2018 in the Port's Adossat wharf, the new terminal will be one of Europe's largest at 11,500 square meters.

In addition, Carnival Corporation will collaborate with the Port to build and open the first public parking facility located on the cruise pier, providing guests embarking on cruises convenient access to over 300 parking spaces.

"As an all-new, next-generation cruise facility, the terminal will be designed to enhance the overall cruise experience for Carnival Corporation's guests," said Michel Nestour, managing director of Carnival Corporation terminal operations in Barcelona. "This will include making it easy and convenient for guests, whether they are arriving at the terminal to begin a cruise vacation, disembarking following the completion of a cruise or visiting Barcelona as one of the ports of call on a cruise. In all cases, our goal is to exceed guest expectations through every stage of the cruise experience, and this new terminal will be built to meet that goal."

"We are excited about our ongoing partnership with Carnival Corporation to enhance our facilities at the Port of Barcelona and continue our momentum as one of the top cruise destinations in the world," said Sixte Cambra, president of the Port Authority of Barcelona. "This new agreement ensures that we will continue to meet the growing popularity of cruising to and from Barcelona, accommodate the latest in cruise ship designs and most importantly provide cruise passengers with the highest levels of quality and service."

Added Giora Israel, senior vice president of global port and destination development for Carnival Corporation: "In the past several years Barcelona has seen a consistent surge in growth as a very popular destination for our cruise guests. And as the largest port in Europe, it continues to be a great city and port for both our guests and our cruise line brands. We are excited to expand our operations at the Port of Barcelona with our second private terminal, as it enhances our ability to provide a great experience for our guests. Based on our very positive working relationship with our partners in Barcelona, we see a truly bright future for the cruising industry in Barcelona and look forward to continuing to work with the Port and the city of Barcelona to welcome our cruise guests to one of the most beautiful, vibrant and popular cities in Europe and the Mediterranean."

Across its six existing terminals in 2014, the Port of Barcelona had 764 cruise calls and over 2.36 million passenger movements. Overall, according to studies by the Barcelona's Tourist Office in 2013, cruise passengers had an economic impact of nearly 257 million euros in Barcelona based on spending on restaurants, transport and trade in the city. A large percentage of cruise passengers are experienced travelers who take vacations as couples, single-unit families, multi-generational and extended families and friends, and who enjoy exploring cities such as Barcelona on their own or on organized shore excursions to visit museums, churches, restaurants, shops and more.

When Carnival Corporation's terminal is launched in 2018, it will represent a significant expansion of the company's presence in the Port of Barcelona. Carnival Corporation operates four additional global ports, including Puerta Maya in Cozumel, Mexico; Grand Turk Cruise Center in Turks and Caicos Islands; Mahogany Bay in Roatan, Honduras; and Long Beach in California. Carnival Corporation also operates two private island destinations in the Caribbean, Princess Cays and Half Moon Cay.

Carnival Corporation will open Amber Cove in October 2015 in the Puerta Plata region of the Dominican Republic, which will be the company's sixth global port operation. The company is also expanding operations at its Puerta Maya port in Cozumel, adding a third pier to be able to receive three ships simultaneously starting with the upcoming winter cruising season. In total, Carnival Corporation cruise ships visit over 725 ports of call around the world.

Valletta Cruise Port announces new appointments

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 15 July 2015 15 July 2015

Valletta Cruise Port plc the operator of the Valletta Cruise and Ferry Terminal facilities and of the Valletta Waterfront destination, is proud to present two new Senior Management members with effect from July 2015.

Karl Azzopardi has been appointed as the Head of Operations and Projects, and will be playing a key role in chalking out Valletta Cruise Port’s overall operational and project development strategy, including recommendations for the best use of organisational resources. Karl is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of experience in the field of project management, operations and facilities management. Between 2002 and 2007, Karl formed part of the Valletta Cruise Port management team that worked on the design and delivery of the Valletta Waterfront destination.  The experiences gained in the field of mixed used and commercial projects, will be an invaluable contributor to enhance the destination’s capacity and products’ delivery.

Andre Parnis is taking on the role of Head of Finance and Corporate Services and will be responsible for the development of financial strategies in line with the business objectives and in conformity with industry standards. Andre, an accountancy graduate joins the group with 16 years of audit, financial control and senior management experience. Having worked for the past 13 years with a leading retail and property investment group on the island, Andre brings with him a wealth of experience that will contribute towards the development and implementation of Valletta Cruise Port’s vision.

Stephen Xuereb, Chief Executive Officer of Valletta Cruise Port plc, said that the team is being tasked with the delivery of Valletta Cruise Port plc’s vision to be one of the leading cruise ports in the Mediterranean, and ensuring that Valletta Waterfront remains a prime leisure destination. “Valletta Cruise Port is already rated very highly in terms of service delivery. Indeed for the fourth consecutive year, Valletta Cruise Port has been named as the Best Turnaround Port Operator 2014 by Cruise Insight, an award recognising the impeccable service delivered by the port, its responsiveness, and the continued development of its facilities in the past years. Since its official launch in June 2005, the Valletta Waterfront destination with its coloured doors has become a recognisable icon, embraced by locals and foreigners alike. Andre and Karl, will play a major role in shaping how we can augment this positive experience even further and continue to exceed expectations,” he concluded.