Ports & destinations

Construction of MSC Cruises’ terminal in Miami starts

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 11 March 2022 11 March 2022

Construction of MSC Cruises' terminal in Miami has begun with the laying of the first stone, the cruise line and Fincantieri, the Italian shipbuilding group, said in a joint statement. 

“The construction work, carried out by Fincantieri Infrastructure in what is considered to be the world capital of cruise tourism, will be the largest state-of-the-art terminal in the United States and one of the most important internationally, which will be able to simultaneously harbour three latest-generation and low environmental impact ships such as MSC Cruises’ future LNG-fuelled ships which are scheduled to become operational in the upcoming months, handling up to 36,000 passengers a day,” the two companies said.

Pierfrancesco Vago, Executive Chairman di MSC Cruises, stated: “This initiative represents a further important step in the long-standing and fruitful collaboration between MSC and Fincantieri. Together with other leading economic players of the "Italian System" such as Intesa Sanpaolo, CDP, Sace and Simest, we are partners of a project that honors the Italian know-how and engineering skills in the world, called upon to engage in the American cruise market. It will be the largest and most technologically advanced terminal in the United States, a new benchmark in the sector, as well as one of the most significant investments made in Miami. It will allow our Company to strengthen and further grow in the most important and competitive cruise market in the world”.

 

Giuseppe Bono, Chief Executive Officer of Fincantieri, commented: “The beginning of works on this big facility is the crowning achievement performed by our Group over the last years. We have been capable of further consolidating our relationship with MSC, based on innovation and constant improvement, and we have at the same time undertaken business initiatives that have enabled us to expand our competences, also with a view to offering our customers cutting-edge products and services. This new futuristic terminal will therefore not only be the expression of the very best that the Made in Italy brand can offer but also of the success of our business strategies”.

The islands of Tahiti expect more than 1,100 calls in 2022

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 07 March 2022 07 March 2022

The cruise industry in French Polynesia, in The Islands of Tahiti, confirms a vigorous and ambitious recovery of activity. With small capacity ships, optimising itineraries and experiences in the different islands, luxury cruises, expeditions and mixed cargo ships show a forecast of more than 1,100 calls in 2022 in the five different archipelagoes.

A total of 140 roundtrip cruises are scheduled for 2022, involving ships of between 100 and 2000 passengers, with full cruises reaching 36 Polynesian islands departing from Papeete, where provisions and equipment supplies, all formalities and passenger turn arounds are handled.

“Even if the forecast occupancy rates are below the 2019 figures, all the islands, their population, tourism stakeholders and authorities are delighted and impatient to be able to interact again with the companies, the crew members and passengers. Resilience in the restart of the industry recovery is well underway in French Polynesia. We believe in this economic model, which has been ours for the past 10 years for the cruise industry,” said Jean-Marc Mocellin, General Manager of Tahiti Tourisme.

Despite the crisis, the hazards and constraints the pandemic caused for two years, The Islands of Tahiti managed to maintain a cruise activity, with ships doing turn arounds in Papeete, with rigorous protocols that allowed the epidemic not to spread.

The Tahiti Cruise Club (TCC) held its first annual general meeting in mid-February to inform all its members of the forecasts and the evolution of the situation.

Aranui, a Polynesian cargo passenger ship serving the Marquesas Islands, Paul Gauguin that has been taken over by the French company Ponant, and Wind Spirit, a sailing cruise ship belonging to Windstar, have sailed the waters of Polynesia in both 2020 and 2021. Their schedules are also effective for 2022. 

In addition, many companies have already resumed or are planning major operations in French Polynesia in the coming months: Windstar with StarBreeze, Lindblad with Orion National Geographic, Oceania with Regatta and Insignia, The World, or Norwegian Cruise Line with tNorwegian Spirit. Beyond the more occasional operations planned, Silversea, Princess Cruises, Aida Cruises, Swan Hellenic, Royal Caribbean, Viking and Holland America Line are among the most loyal. It was also announced that Variety Cruises would be starting new operations in Polynesia.

Port of Riga expects record number of cruise ship calls this year

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 07 March 2022 07 March 2022

The Port of Riga is currently actively working with the cruise lines to reschedule their current itineraries due to the cruise lines’ common position not to call St. Petersburg.

“With many attractive tourist sights nearby and three terminals, available for cruise ships, we are able to accommodate many more cruise ships than initially planned. As the process is ongoing and situation is changing day by day, it is hard to identify the exact number of calls the port may gain, but provisionally it might be about 50% more than planned," says Jelena Burdastova, Business Support Specialist of the Freeport of Riga Authority.

A record number of cruise ships is expected at the port of Riga in 2022. “This year's cruise ship schedule clearly indicates a positive recovery of the cruise industry. At the same time, it is the result of relentless work of the Freeport of Riga Authority and its partners, who have been working systematically with international industry associations, cruise companies and ship agents throughout the pandemic with the aim to highlight Riga's benefits and excellence on the cruise route map," said Viesturs Zeps, Chairman of the Freeport of Riga Board.

Twelve vessels plan to visit the port of Riga for the first time, including the largest of them – the 15-deck ship Voyager of the Seas of the cruise company Royal Caribbean International. It is 311.1 meters long and can carry more than 3,600 passengers at a time.

The first cruise ship in the port of Riga this season is expected on April 13. It will be the German liner Hamburg of the German cruise company Plantours Kreuzfahrten with about 400 passengers on board.

It is expected that this year we will be able to see bigger ships in Riga than before, and good news are that 25 cruise ships plan to stay in the port of Riga longer – two days. The highest number of expected calls is from the U.S. and German cruise companies.

For several years the Freeport of Riga Authority has been a member of various international associations – Cruise Europe, Cruise Lines International Association, Baltic Ports Organization, The International Association of Cities and Ports (AIVP) and International Association of Ports and Harbors – actively participating in the agenda of the industry organizations. With the aim to foster successful marketing program, this spring the port of Riga and the city of Riga will once again be represented at the largest and most important exhibition of the world's cruise industry Seatrade Cruise Global, which will take place in the USA in April.

This year, not only cruise ship traffic but also passenger, vehicle and cargo transportation will be resumed – on April 6 Tallink's Isabelle will start its first voyage since suspension, thus resuming regular passenger and cargo transportation on the sea route Riga-Stockholm. Direct voyages connecting the capitals of Latvia and Sweden are scheduled every other day.

The updated list of cruise ship visits will be published on the website of the Freeport of Riga Authority www.rop.lv/en. The section “Ships in the port” - https://rop.lv/en/kugi-osta - provides more information about each vessel entering the port or a ship expected in the coming days.

Port of Seattle announces 2022 cruise schedule

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 28 February 2022 28 February 2022

The Port of Seattle unveiled its preliminary cruise schedule for 2022, with 315 scheduled sailings bringing an estimated 1.3 million revenue passengers through its two cruise ship terminals. Cruise lines are adding additional ships to the Alaska market this season. It is anticipated that the number of passengers per ship will vary by sailing and will increase as the season progresses. The seven major brands homeporting in Seattle will be sailing 15 vessels, up from 11 most seasons.

“The Port of Seattle looks forward to providing another season of safe cruise experiences as we continue to work with our local public health officials to ensure the health and safety of passengers, crews, and the community. Our vision is for a thriving Seattle Alaska cruise industry, one that leads the world in terms of environmental standards, inspiring other Ports to meet the same high standards, and delivers job and business opportunities where they are needed most,” said Stephanie Jones Stebbins, Managing Director of Maritime at the Port of Seattle. “Cruise is a critical part of our local and regional economy, supporting thousands of jobs across maritime, tourism, hospitality, agriculture, and services.”

As in 2021, the Port and cruise lines will adopt detailed agreements documenting Covid prevention and response plans on everything from vaccinations, testing to quarantine procedures. Cruise lines are also detailing how they will participate in the United States Center for Disease Control’s (CDC) updated Program for Cruise Ships. Cruise lines operating out of Seattle this year are also expected to stop in Canada and must also meet Canadian vaccination and testing requirements.

Last year, the Port of Seattle hosted one of the safest cruise seasons in the world, thanks to partnerships with cruise lines, state and local public health officials, ports in Alaska, and passengers. The CDC will continue public reporting on the status of COVID cases on cruise ships. The shortened season, with 82 cruise calls, demonstrated the success of safety protocols.

The Port of Seattle is one of the most environmentally progressive cruise homeports in North America, routinely setting new standards that go beyond regulatory compliance to reduce environmental impact. Beyond compliance, the Port works closely with the industry to minimize the climate change and air quality impacts from cruise ship operations through the use of cleaner fuels, access to shore power, and a strong collaborative relationship focused on the environment.

Today, the Port uses its existing agreements to require shore power capable ships to use shore power. A new shore power connection is on track to be completed at Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal in 2023. The Port has also set a goal to have 100 percent of homeport cruise ships in Seattle equipped with shore power capability and connect to power on every call by 2030 or sooner.

Seattle’s cruise lines continue to show their support for clean air and climate action by increasing the number of vessels that are shore power capable and connect when at berth. This year, 100 percent of Holland America Line and Princess Cruises ships calling at Smith Cove Cruise Terminal are shore power capable.

The Port is working with cruise lines to ensure water quality protections for Puget Sound too. While in 2018 Puget Sound officially became a ‘No Discharge Zone,’ cruise lines stopped discharging wastewater voluntarily years before the state of Washington extended these protections to all vessels. Since 2004, the Port has partnered with the Washington State Department of Ecology and the cruise industry in a voluntary agreement. The memorandum of understanding, often referred to as the “Cruise MOU” was originally put in place to increase both standards and oversight on cruise ships, allowing for random inspections of systems and records on ships each season.

In 2020, the Port also banned all exhaust gas cleaning system wash water from cruise ships at berth, and in 2021, all ships calling on the Port voluntarily agreed to pause all discharges of wash water in Puget Sound. This wash water pause will remain in effect until findings from a third-party research study can show that wash water discharges do not impact Puget Sound water quality and until that time, cruise ships do not discharge anything into Puget Sound waters.

Later this spring, the Port, cruise lines, and tourism partners will host a pre-season webinar to answer community questions about the upcoming cruise season. Registration links will be posted to the Port’s webpage and social media channels once details are confirmed.

Connecting locals to job and business opportunities is part of the Port of Seattle’s equitable economic recovery strategy. The Port and cruise line partners will host an April cruise job fair at the Port’s Community Hub in South Park and will also co-sponsor an Alaska travel vendor fair on March 19.

“Thanks to our successful approach in combating the pandemic, our region is finally on the cusp of the tourism recovery we have been hoping for. A strong 2022 cruise season will be a gift to our region and it is encouraging to see the cruise industry’s commitment to Seattle and the Alaska cruise market,” said Tom Norwalk, President and CEO of Visit Seattle. “Local tourism and hospitality partners — from restaurants and retail to attractions and hotels—will benefit at a time when our region needs it most. And even more critically – jobs will be created. We thank and congratulate the Port of Seattle for their leadership role in driving economic benefit into our region and we look forward to welcoming cruise passengers to Seattle very soon.”

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Port of Seattle had forecast a record year for 2020 with 233 cruise vessels scheduled to sail from Seattle with an expected 1.3 million passengers expected through our terminals, supporting 5,500 jobs, and providing nearly $900 million in economic impact for our region. With no cruise activity in 2020, the economic losses due to the drop in tourism were devasting locally and in Alaska.

“The cruise industry is an important component of the Southeast Alaskan economy. The past two years have been incredibly difficult for our local businesses, and we’re excited to welcome visitors back to our beautiful community and region,” said Alexandra Pierce, Tourism Manager of the City and Borough of Juneau, Alaska.

Communities in Alaska also rely on tourism income to maintain their livelihoods. A recent report prepared for the Alaska Travel Industry Association found that the lack of cruise in 2020 contributed to a 78 percent decline in visitor spending, leading businesses to rely on government assistance, cut jobs, and reduce or pause operations.

“From the grand opening of our high-speed gondola systems to welcoming a record-setting number of travelers, this will be an exceptional cruise season at Icy Strait Point,” said Russell Dick, Huna Totem Corporation President and CEO. “From our Native community of Hoonah to the Yukon River beyond Denali, the cruise industry drives the economy for small villages across the state of Alaska. In turn, our rich culture, vast landscapes, and abundant wildlife inspires life-changing memories for the entire family.”