Departments

Carnival, RCCL in joint St Lucia cruise port project

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 24 October 2019 24 October 2019

Carnival Corporation & plc and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCCL), the two largest cruise shipping groups in the world, have announced the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the government of Saint Lucia to form a joint venture to manage the existing cruise pier and terminal facilities in Saint Lucia, and to design, construct and operate a new cruise port on the island.

As part of the MOU, Carnival, RCCL and the government of Saint Lucia will establish a long-term concession agreement to formalize the terms and responsibilities for the joint venture to manage and operate the current cruise pier and terminal facilities at the Port of Castries. Additionally, the joint venture will design, finance, construct and operate a new cruise port in Vieux Fort on the southern part of the island that will be able to accommodate the latest and most innovative ships in the cruise industry.

Prime Minister of Saint Lucia Honourable Allen Chastanet has called the signing of the MOU "historic" and "a major step towards enhancing Saint Lucia's tourism product."

"The cruise market is the fastest growing sector of tourism and in the next decade cruising in the Caribbean region is anticipated to increase by 40%," said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean. "We are excited to partner with the Government of Saint Lucia to ensure that the destination directly benefits from that growth, while giving more guests the opportunity to visit this unique gem in the Caribbean."

Together, the cruise line brands of Carnival and RCCL currently account for 75% of all cruise ship deployment to Saint Lucia. Under the new agreement, the joint venture would optimize the experience for guests visiting Saint Lucia while developing additional cruise infrastructure to support the industry's latest ships and promote the growth of cruise tourism on the island.

Port of Yokohama and Var Chamber of Commerce sign Cruise Friendly licensing agreement

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 17 October 2019 17 October 2019

The Port of Yokohama in Japan and Var Chamber of Commerce in France have signed an agreement whereby the Japanese port and businesses in the city are licensed to use the Cruise Friendly label developed by the French organisation and whereby they commit themselves to certain service standards in a move to enhance the experience of cruise passengers.

The objective of this label is to build customer loyalty by delivering an extraordinary experience to cruise guests, in order to make a great impression and to increase their desire to return once again for a sojourn in the city where the label is implemented, the two said in a joint statement.

Businesses displaying the Cruise Friendly label guarantee to stay open during cruise calls, agree to offer a discount or a gift after any purchase to cruise passengers, to speak English and to accept the visit of a mystery shopper who will control the quality of service.

"We are proud to be part of the" Cruise Friendly "family in the hope that more cruise passengers will discover the main sights and the atmosphere of our city, as this project fits perfectly with our motto Inspire your soul,” said the Mayor of Yokohama, Fumiko Hayashi in the statement.

“For us all, it is a question of reaching excellence by a personalised welcome, helping to optimize the experience of the cruise guests, and to leave them an unforgettable memory of their call in the Var and at the same time helping local businesses and shops, restaurant keepers to attract new customers and to benefit of the economic impact of the cruise activity,” Jacques Bianchi, President of the Var Chamber of Commerce said.

This label is today acclaimed by other Var Provence ports reaching a total of more than 400 shops in seven cities: Bandol, Sanary, Toulon, La Seyne-sur-Mer, Hyères, Le Lavandou, St-Raphaël, with two new cities to join the network in 2020: Fréjus and Le Castellet.

Bremerhaven wraps up record season but volume growth slowed down from previous year

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 14 October 2019 14 October 2019

Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven (CCCB) in Germany enjoyed a record season this year, but the pace of volume growth slowed down significantly from the previous year, the terminal operator said in a statement.

CCCB handled about 250,000 passenger in the season that just ended, an increase of 10,000 from 2018. Last year, the facility had enjoyed a leap in volumes as it handled 70,000 passengers more than in 2017.

Two ships were named at CCCB during the season, Vasco da Gama of Transocean Cruises and Amera of Phoenix Seereisen.

Kiel passenger count rises by third to 800,000

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 11 October 2019 11 October 2019

The number of cruise passengers at the German port of Kiel has risen by a third to about 800,000 in this season and thus exceeded the expectations of the management, the port said in a statement.

“The Cruise Season 2019 went very well for the port of Kiel. The shipping companies and the port cooperated excellently.” This was all the more important as the new construction of the second terminal building as well as the festivities marking the Anniversary of German Unification required a temporary adaption of handling processes at the northern Ostseekai berth,” said Dr. Dirk Claus, Managing director of the port.

Furthermore, the expanded cruise terminal in the Ostuferhafen area which had been inaugurated last April proved successful to increase the capacity and flexibility of the port. “Very big ships with more than 4,000 passengers can be handled smoothly at the Ostuferhafen Terminal. The customer satisfaction confirms the facility’s high quality and efficiency,” Claus said.

Carnival Corporation breaks ground on new cruise terminal in Sasebo, Japan

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 09 October 2019 09 October 2019

Carnival Corporation & plc has officially began construction of the cruise industry's first cruise terminal in Japan, located at the port of Sasebo, with a groundbreaking ceremony attended by government, business and community representatives. In attendance for Carnival Corporation were Remco Buis, senior vice president port operations and development, and Paul Chong, vice president of business development for Carnival Asia, as well as representatives from the Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), and the city of Sasebo.

As part of a strategic partnership agreement signed in March 2018 with the city of Sasebo and MLIT Japan, Carnival Corporation will construct and operate the new terminal, expected to open in summer 2020. The partners in the Sasebo development project are working together on an efficient, contemporary design for the terminal to accommodate the corporation's existing and newest ships. Under the 20-year agreement, Carnival Corporation and its cruise line brands will be granted berthing preference, enabling them to provide guests with optimized cruise itineraries when visiting the port.

"As the cruise industry's first terminal in Japan, this groundbreaking is a historic day for all of us at Carnival Corporation and for our partners in this exciting project," said Michael Thamm, group CEO, Costa Group and Carnival Asia. "This new terminal will complement our strong presence in the Asia-Pacific region and furthers our commitment to help facilitate the rising demand for cruise vacations in the region, enabling even more people from around the world to discover why Japan is such an extraordinary destination, one that many of our guests have long enjoyed. And as our company's first cruise terminal investment in Japan, we are excited to mark the start of our long-term relationship. We are actively working on future investment opportunities to help further support growth and expand the Japanese cruise industry for years to come."

Japan's ports have witnessed exceptional growth over the past few years, and cruising continues to increase in popularity in Asia. The company will continue to work with Japan's government and MLIT to identify potential additional port development opportunities and future investments in the country.

Japan is a popular destination for seven of Carnival Corporation's cruise line brands, including AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard, Holland America Line, P&O Cruises (UK), Princess Cruises and Seabourn. Overall, Carnival Corporation is expecting to accommodate an estimated 2 million passenger movements in the market in 2019, with nearly 800 calls from 15 ships from the company's cruise line brands to over 50 ports in Japan.