Ports & destinations

Galveston Cruise Terminal getting $53 million makeover for Carnival Jubilee arrival

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 19 May 2023 19 May 2023

The Galveston Wharves is investing $53 million in a major expansion at Cruise Terminal 25 to accommodate Carnival Cruise Line’s Carnival Jubilee, a newly-built cruise ship arriving in December.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the beautiful new Carnival Jubilee to our improved cruise terminal,” said Rodger Rees, Galveston Wharves port director and CEO. “We’re proud to have Carnival Cruise Line, our long-time cruise partner, choose Galveston as the home port for its newest ship.”

With a capacity of up to 6,500 guests, Carnival Jubilee is larger than the Carnival ships currently sailing from the terminal. Construction plans include improvements to accommodate the ship, move guests efficiently during debarkation and embarkation, and update the two-decades-old terminal, Rees said.

The project includes gangway modifications, a ramp, two elevators and an escalator, as well as a new roof. The new gangways are being built in Spain. Rees added that cruise operations will continue during the project.

The port also will make mandated improvements to facilities used by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which provides essential safety and security services at the terminal.

Investing in the future

Rees said that these improvements are a long-term investment in the port’s future growth, more jobs and a stronger regional economy. As the fourth most popular cruise port in the U.S. and the only home port in Texas, the port generates two-thirds of its revenues from its cruise business. Rees added that the port reinvests net operational revenues in capital projects to grow its business.

In 2022, the port’s cruise activity generated 3,500 jobs, $568 million in local business revenue and $73.5 million in local purchases by passengers and crew. The port is on track to set new records in 2023 as the result of more people cruising, new and larger ships sailing from Galveston, and the opening of a third cruise terminal in late 2022.

The port will fund the cruise terminal expansion with cash reserves, a proposed bond issue and an agreement with Carnival.

“Carnival was the first major cruise line to homeport in Galveston more than 20 years ago. They believed in us then and believe in Galveston’s growing prominence as a top cruise port today,” Rees said.

Abu Dhabi receives more than 700,000 cruise visitors

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 11 May 2023 11 May 2023

AD Ports Group, the leading facilitator of global trade, logistics, and industry, has announced that Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal, the operator of local and international cruise and leisure destinations, has registered a significant increase in the number of visitors and ship calls in the 2022/2023 season, making it the busiest cruise destination in the region in terms of cruise calls.

Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal recorded more than 700,000 visitors arriving in Abu Dhabi, with more than 82,000 passengers starting their journey from Abu Dhabi as an embarkation port. The first quarter of 2023 was particularly strong, 363,494 visitors and 120 calls were recorded compared to Q1 of 2022 which saw 89,953 visitors and 60 calls. Passenger volumes for Q1 2023 surpassed the number of visitors accommodated for the full year of 2022 by more than 37%.

Overall, the growth in contrast to the previous season was impressive. The 2022/2023 season registered more than 700,000 visitors and 184 calls, compared to 177,639 visitors and 130 calls in the 2021/2022 season. This rise reflects the forecasted rebound of the UAE cruise industry post COVID-19 and the unwavering commitment of Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal.

Commenting on this remarkable achievement, Saif Al Mazrouei, Chief Executive Officer – Ports Cluster, AD Ports Group, said: “The increasing number of visitors is a testament to Abu Dhabi’s position as a world class hub for maritime tourism and the trust bestowed on us by our partners in the cruise industry to deploy their latest and largest vessels to the region.

“Both Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal and Sir Bani Yas Cruise Beach have evolved to offer an incredible and unique cruise experience for all guests, providing them with the opportunity to discover both the extraordinary attractions within Abu Dhabi and the natural beauty of Sir Bani Yas Island.”

HE Saleh Al Geziry, Director General of the Tourism Sector at the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi, said: “Tourism is a driving force of Abu Dhabi’s economic progress and prosperity, with the growing attractiveness of the emirate to cruise passengers playing a significant role in its success. The solid performance from the 2022-23 season demonstrates the rapid development of this visitor segment and showcases the effectiveness of our robust growth strategy for cruise travel in Abu Dhabi.”

Noura Al Dhaheri, Managing Director of Cruise Business, AD Ports Group, said: “It is very exciting to continue to welcome thousands of visitors to Abu Dhabi. The management and operations teams at Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal have worked relentlessly to make us the busiest cruise hub in the region. This achievement would not have been possible without the world-class infrastructure and the constant upgrades to our facilities, the commercial incentives offered, and our operational excellence. All these factors are crucial to attracting larger number of visitors. We remain committed to working closely with cruise lines to position Abu Dhabi as one of the top cruise destinations globally.”

Abu Dhabi Cruise Terminal was launched in December 2015, providing a well-located base for cruise-liner passengers, enabling them to explore and experience the UAE capital. The Cruise Terminal is furnished with restaurants, retail outlets, duty-free shops, Etihad Airline check-in, and baggage storage.

Prince Rupert opens 2023 cruise season

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 12 May 2023 12 May 2023

Prince Rupert Cruise Port (PRCP), operated by Global Ports Holding, the world’s largest cruise port operator, celebrated the start of its 2023 cruise season with Carnival Miracle, as part of its 14-day Alaskan itinerary. Carnival Miracle, with 2,018 passengers onboard, and Prince Rupert Cruise Port marked the occasion of the inaugural call with a plaque exchange ceremony onboard the ship.

Kevin D’Costa, Prince Rupert Cruise Port GM presented the plaque to Captain Roberto Costi, together with Hereditary Chief Alex Campbell, Councillor Reid Skelton-Morven, Paul Vendittelli – Director, Economic Development & Transportation, Carl Simpson – COO Lax Kw’Alaams Business Development, John Farrell – Board Member, Prince Rupert Port Authority, Jeff Stromdahl – Manager, Trade Development, Prince Rupert Port Authority and Erika Tache – VP of Business Development, Shorex & Landside, GPH.

As the only municipality in The Great Bear Rainforest, with a population of 13,000, Prince Rupert offers visitors breathtaking panoramic vistas and views of the mountains of British Columbia, coupled with rich culture and history, all supported by a warm local community.

This year, Prince Rupert has added to its shore excursion offerings for passengers visiting this scenic area, including a Trolley tour experience, which travels around the entire city offering information on local Ts’msyen culture and a historical overview of the city. PRCP has also added a new feature with The ShoreX Hub, which allows shorex teams from cruise lines to facilitate last-minute tours for cruise passengers.

Kevin D’Costa, General Manager of Prince Rupert Cruise Port, shared his excitement for the start of the season saying “The response from the community has been overwhelming, and it has been so exciting to gear up for the 2023 cruise season. GPH, PRCP, our partners, stakeholders and the community have been looking forward to the first call and we have been delighted to have had the opportunity to share with the cruise passengers what Prince Rupert has to offer.” He continued, “Everything has been about supporting and promoting this amazing destination. The Great Bear Rainforest is an incredibly special corner of the world, and Prince Rupert is at the heart of it all.”

Hereditary Chief Alex Campbell commented “I remember meeting the first ship that ever came here, when the ships first started to visit Prince Rupert. Visiting the ship yesterday was good, the captain and crew were very nice, friendly people. The area of Prince Rupert is a tribal area, and 9 tribes agreed to cruise tourism. We are looking forward to continuing and having different people coming to experience Prince Rupert and talking to them and teaching them about the area.”

“Today’s arrival of the Carnival Miracle signifies a number of exciting milestones for the Prince Rupert Port Authority. The vessel’s call marks the first day of the Port of Prince Rupert’s 2023 cruise season and the first vessel to call under the cruise terminal’s new management, Global Ports Holding, after signing a terminal operating agreement last year,” said Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO of the Prince Rupert Port Authority. “Global Ports Holding is well positioned to elevate cruise tourism in the area to meet Prince Rupert’s vision of growing a thriving cruise sector as a world-class destination, with significant economic benefits for the local community and surrounding region. Hats off to GPH and all of the community partners and businesses for the steps they’ve taken toward achieving that vision by growing the cruise visitor experience in Prince Rupert through new offerings. We look forward to continuing to work with all stakeholders involved to ensure another successful cruise season.”

Prince Rupert Cruise Port is keenly focused on strengthening and expanding the shore excursion capabilities of the destination, while supporting the development of related opportunities for local entrepreneurs. Prince Rupert Cruise Port looks forward to a successful cruise season and promoting the history and culture of the city of Prince Rupert and The Great Bear Rainforest. Global Ports Holding currently manages 27 ports in 14 countries.

Port of Barcelona sets up the Cruise Sustainability Council

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 11 May 2023 11 May 2023

The Port of Barcelona has set up the Cruise Sustainability Council, a forum for working together to improve the impact of cruise tourism on the Catalan capital and has invited the administrations, entities and bodies related to this sector to take part: Barcelona City Council; Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya); Provincial Council of Barcelona, Delegation of the Central Government in Catalonia, Port Community; CLIA (Cruise Lines International Association); Air Routes Development Committee (CDRA) and economic and social entities.

This Cruise Sustainability Council was created with five main objectives in mind:

• To enhance the transparency and communication of cruise activity in the Port of Barcelona.
• To create a space for sharing and coordinating the various initiatives launched by different institutions.
• To reduce the negative impacts of cruises both on an environmental and social level.
• To increase the social and economic return by the sector on the city and its hinterland.
• To strengthen the connection of cruise companies with the city's business, training and employment sectors.

By supporting this Cruise Sustainability Council, the Port of Barcelona is leading the coordination of initiatives to improve the sustainable development of cruise activity in tandem with the administrations, the Port Community and the economic and social players.

This new instrument provides continuity to the agreement signed between the Port and Barcelona City Council in 2018 which reduces the number of cruise terminals to seven. Implementing this agreement from 2018 involves around ten years' work and therefore will not end until 2027, with the closure of the cruise terminal located on Barcelona Sud wharf. This agreement involves an investment of €265 million in public and private investment (adaptation of the Adossat wharf, building the new terminals, removing the old ones, and so on), and incorporates improvements in cruise activity at the Port of Barcelona, facilitating the increase in homeport operations.

50 actions

This Council will be governed by a plenary session and will be structured into several work committees focusing on environmental, social and economic sustainability. The founding document of the Cruise Sustainability Council also suggests 50 actions that are already underway or will start shortly and are framed within the three areas indicated.

A fourth, cross-cutting axis has been proposed, intersecting these working groups, to promote transparency and communication of the progress of the Council's activities and initiatives, and the data and studies developed by the various players.

In the social sustainability area, the actions are focused on managing cruise passengers, promoting a model based on the leadership of homeport cruises, which already began with the limitation and transfer of cruise terminals and the move towards de-seasonalising the activity. Another very important line of work involves reducing congestion in the most touristy areas of the city; diversifying tourist assets and creating local jobs in the sector. As regards environmental sustainability, the actions are aimed at reducing emissions from cruise ships; promoting low-emission ships and the energy transition in the Port; optimising water management; transforming waste into biogas; improving urban mobility and working towards biodiversity. With regard to economic sustainability, the measures proposed by the Port of Barcelona refer to the increase in arrivals of homeport cruise ships; generating business in the productive sectors of the country and facilitating innovation projects.

The homeport operating model

It should not be forgotten that the Port of Barcelona is the leading European and Mediterranean homeport, the port where cruise passengers start and/or end their journey, which is the segment that provides the greatest profit to the city. Work is also underway to convert some cruise ships that are currently under the transit regime into homeport vessels using Barcelona as a homeport for some cruise-goers, thereby increasing its leadership as a port of embarkation and disembarkation for tourists.

Setting up the Cruise Sustainability Council has garnered a very broad consensus among the participating administrations, entities and bodies and lays the foundations for continuing to optimise the management of cruise tourism arriving in Barcelona, having a clear idea about exactly what the legal framework allows us to do, providing space for implementing many improvement measures. The plenary will meet two or three times a year and the various working groups will be set up. There will be a technical secretariat that will organise the various working groups responsible for specifying and implementing these measures.