Ports & destinations

Port Everglades invests in growth with updated master/vision plan

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 25 June 2014 25 June 2014

Port Everglades is planning for the year 2033 with an updated roadmap for future growth over the next 20 years that identifies $1.6 billion in capital investments to improve productivity for cargo, cruise and petroleum businesses that operate at the South Florida seaport.

The Broward County Board of County Commissioners, which governs the Port as a self-funded enterprise fund, approved the Port Everglades 2014 Master/Vision Plan yesterday during its regularly scheduled meeting. Over the past year, Port staff and maritime consultant AECOM Technical Services, Inc. held more than 20 meetings with customers, stakeholders and the general public to develop the Plan.

“This is the second update to the original Master/Vision Plan that was adopted in 2006. At that time, the Commission directed staff to update the plan every two to three years to take a hard look at market trends and how we could maximize existing facilities to ensure that Port Everglades continues to be an economic powerhouse,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive & Port Director Steve Cernak.

Market forecast

Market assessments, critical to identifying the Port’s future infrastructure needs, predict steady growth in all business sectors at Port Everglades.

The cruise business at Port Everglades is forecasted to reach 5.6 million passenger moves in 2033 compared to 4 million expected during fiscal year 2014 (ending September 30, 2014).

Port Everglades is expected to continue as Florida’s leading containerized cargo port, reaching 1.7 million TEUs (the industry standard measurement of 20-foot equivalent units) in 2033 compared to 943,000 TEUs expected during FY2014. Non-containerized cargo such as steel, lumber, aggregate, cement and vehicles is forecasted to reach nearly 3.3 million tons by 2033, which is triple the amount moved through Port Everglades today.

Petroleum products, especially gasoline and jet fuel, which are moved by ship and rail to private petroleum terminals inside the Port, are also anticipated to increase as South Florida’s consumer population continues to grow. Total volumes are projected to grow from 300,000 barrels daily to 376,000 barrels daily in 2033, with jet fuel replacing gasoline as the top petroleum commodity moving through the Port.

Infrastructure highlights

Current keystone capital improvements are providing a springboard for future growth and infrastructure enhancements. Those current projects include lengthening the Southport Turning Notch from 900 to 2,400 feet to add up to five new cargo berths; deepening and widening the navigation channels; and, opening this July, the Florida East Coast Railway’s new intermodal container transfer facility (ICTF).

Projects in the five-year Master Plan include:

–    Complete Southport Turning Notch expansion
–    New bulkheads for Berths 1, 2 and 3
–    Expand Slip 1 for petroleum operations
–    Create a new neo-bulk storage yard for non-containerized cargo
–    Lengthen Slip 2 for larger cruise ships using Cruise Terminal 4
–    Improve Cruise Terminal 25 by adding an enclosed corridor to Cruise Terminal 22/24
–    Purchase the first two of five super post-Panamax cranes
–    Add an outbound lane for cargo trucks on McIntosh Road
–    Mitigation in West Lake Park

Longer-term projects in the 10- and 20-year Vision Plans include:

–    Cruise Terminal 29 improvements
–    Fill in the Tracor Basin to lengthen Berth 29 to accommodate larger cruise ships
–    Continue to replace bulkheads throughout the Port
–    Build a new parking garage for Cruise Terminals 2 and 4 in Northport
–    Purchase three additional super post-Panamax cranes
–    Reconfigure Berth 33 to accommodate larger cargo ships
–    Deepen and widening the Port’s navigational channels
–    Construct a crushed rock (aggregate) facility with an underground conveyance from the docks to the rail facility

The plan also includes conducting traffic and environmental studies for projects in the five-year Master Plan, and an affordability analysis for the projects in the 10-year timeframe. The complete 2014 Master/Vision Plan is available at www.portevergladesmasterplan.com.

Norwegian Escape to call in Hamburg

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 19 June 2014 19 June 2014

The latest news for the cruise port Hamburg are spectacular: The new vessel Norwegian Escape will visit Hamburg on 23 October 2015 during its inaugural celebrations.

In October 2015 Norwegian Cruise Line will be celebrating a premiere in Hamburg: Its new vessel Norwegian Escape, visiting the city on 23 October 2015, will be the largest cruise ship to date to be welcomed in Hamburg. The new vessel will be making its public debut in the city – first during a 2-night cruise for the travel industry and, following this, a 2-night cruise for end consumers taking the ship from Hamburg to Southampton. The Freestyle Cruising resort, with a capacity for 4,200 passengers, is currently under construction at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg and will be the largest member of the line’s fleet when launched in autumn 2015.

“The European market has played an important role for Norwegian Cruise Line for years now, with Germany in particular one of our key source markets. Our choice of Hamburg as the venue for the Continental European premiere celebrations for a new vessel for the first time clearly illustrates our commitment to the German market, demonstrating the potential we see here for Norwegian Cruise Line in the coming years,” says Jürgen Stille, Director Business Development Continental Europe at Norwegian Cruise Line. “We await the maiden call of our spectacular new vessel in Hamburg with great excitement.”

“We look forward to welcoming Norwegian Cruise Line to Hamburg when the Norwegian Escape calls in autumn 2015 and will depart from here to her first cruise. Norwegian’s award-winning Freestyle Cruising concept and the international mix of guests on board are of continuously increasing interest for the booming German market. The presentation of the new vessel on the River Elbe, the cruise industry’s red carpet, is the perfect choice of venue,” says Gerd Drossel, Managing Director of Hamburg Cruise Center.

Hamburg has just once more proven itself being the stage for cruise events. June 12, Germany’s most successful recording artist, Helene Fischer, officially christened the Mein Schiff 3 in Hamburg’s HafenCity district. The glamorous naming ceremony, held under the motto “Diamond meets pearl”, took place on the pier of the Hamburg Cruise Center and was attended by some 1,700 invited guests from politics, business and society as well as numerous spectators.

The highlight of the afternoon’s naming ceremony was the special appearance by Helene Fischer. The singer floated up to the ship on a giant, pearl-like balloon to smash the obligatory bottle of champagne on the ship’s bows for the actual christening ceremony, to the enthusiastic applause of the crowd. In the evening, the exclusive concert from Helene Fischer was visited by over ten thousand fans and was joined by the ship alongside the river Elbe.

Last Friday, June 13, the Azamara Journey, called the Port of Hamburg for the first time and was traditionally welcomed by water fountains and a singing Hanseatic choir at the terminal. On this occasion, the symbolic presentation of the Hamburg admiralty plaque to the captain of the ship Johannes Tysse was undertaken by harbour captain Jörg Pollmann and the ship’s agent Simone Maraschi from Sartori & Berger.

Hamburg establishes cruise office to help expansion of industry

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 08 June 2014 08 June 2014

The senate of the city of Hamburg has established an office to facilitate the growth of the cruise industry by bringing together the various actors in the business, said Hamburg Cruise cEnter, the terminal operator in the city.

“In order to plan and implement strategic further development of the location and the requisite associated actions, the Senate has decided to establish a cruise initiative. Organisation of the measures and coordination of those involved is to be optimized within the scope of a public-private partnership funded by Hamburg Cruise Center e. V. and local protagonists. “

“This will include the networking of sector-related enterprises at the location. In addition, the initiative will also seek to support the development of domiciled companies and attract new ones to the area. The subject of sustainable cruising will also be actively fostered, while marketing of the cruising location, training and qualification as well as the promotion of tourist-based value added similarly count amongst the initiative’s task areas.”

“Above and beyond this, the city authorities are investing in the necessary terminal infrastructure and have also commissioned the Hamburg Port Authority to realize a third cruise terminal in cooperation with the Airport Hamburg GmbH. At the same time, the entire processing business is to be reorganized.”

Significant port development in the Baltic

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 12 June 2014 12 June 2014

May was an exciting month for cruise port development in the Baltic with the inauguration of four new terminals at Copenhagen Malmö and the opening of the new €9.34million cruise quay at Tallinn, Alan Lam reports.

In a major expansion programme, three new cruise terminals in Copenhagen and one in Malmö were added.

At the total investment of DKK600 million, according to CruiseBaltic, the port of Copenhagen has taken a major stride to meet the anticipated demand of the future. The new pier has space for three large cruise ships to berth along a 1,100-metre long and 70-metre wide quay. The new development includes three 3,300-m2 terminal buildings, each with 1,800 m2 of passenger handling space as well as 1,500 m2 of luggage handling space.

In Malmö in southern Sweden, the conversion of a 2,400-m2 warehouse into a cruise terminal is also complete, enabling Pullmantur to move its Empress from Copenhagen to the new facility. The port is part of CMP Ports, a Swedish-Danish company that also operates the Port of Copenhagen.

In Tallinn, the new €9.34 million cruise quay, officially opened on 17 May, allows larger ships - up to 340 metres in length, 42 metres in width and nine metres in draft - to dock, thus increasing the port’s appeal to cruise operators.

The construction of the new quay, next to the existingone in the Old City harbour, started in May 2013. The total length of the quay is now 421 metres with a width of 20 metres, and a guaranteed depth (at the quay wall) of 11 metres. The quay has also been outfitted with electricity supply, outdoor lighting, communications equipment as well as pipelines for supplying ships withfresh water and removing waste.

New Executive Committee at Cruise the Saint Lawrence

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 05 June 2014 05 June 2014

At the 15th Annual General Meeting held on May 29th, the Board of Directors of Cruise the Saint Lawrence (CSL) appointed new officers to the organization's Executive Committee.

The new association President is Tony Boemi, Vice President, Growth and Development, Montréal Port Authority. With the Port of Montréal since 2008, Mr Boemi has been active in marine industry affairs for close to four decades. "In recent years, the Saint Lawrence has developed into a destination of ever increasing popularity with cruise companies, a fact largely attributable to unstinted efforts by the team at Cruise the Saint Lawrence and the latter's outgoing president, as well as to federal and provincial government support for this rapidly developing sector," stated the new president. "Our goal is to become a benchmark destination known the world over, a destination recognized for the quality of passenger greeting operations in each of our member ports of call, as well as for the diversity and originality of tours and excursions available to cruiseshippers."

Stéphane Sainte-Croix, Executive Director, Corporation Escale Gaspésie was appointed Vice President and Nancy Houley, Manager, Cruise Markets, Port of Québec was named Secretary-Treasurer.

Outgoing President Priscilla Nemey, Director, Tourism and Communications with Promotion Saguenay indicated it was with an immense sense of pride that she was wrapping up her six-year term in office, pride in the kinship and cooperation developed over the years among our nine Saint Lawrence ports of call extending from Montréal to the Magdalen Islands.

Cruise the Saint Lawrence groups together partners committed to the promotion and development of the nine ports of call located along the shores of the Saint Lawrence River. The association receives financial support from Economic Development Canada, Tourism Québec and industry partners. The mission of the organization is to position Destination Saint Lawrence with cruise companies by defining and coordinating development efforts and partner/port of call attributes, the ultimate aim being to build a genuine ‘Cruise the Saint Lawrence’ brand.