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Lerwick ends the cruise season with a new record

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 01 October 2019 01 October 2019

A positive season for the cruise industry at Lerwick Harbour, Shetland, draws to a close today (Tuesday 1 October), with the final arrival for 2019 – the 99th cruise ship at the port since March, eight more than the record set in 2018.

Fred Olsen Cruises’ Black Watch, sailing on a 13-night northern Norway scenic islands voyage, berthed at Holmsgarth 5.

Bookings for 2020 will potentially break three records, with 105 cruise ships scheduled to call, an estimated 92,000 passengers and over 4 million gross tonnes of shipping. Thirteen maiden calls will be a highlight, including two newly-launched vessels, Ponant Cruises’ Le Bellot and Saga’s Spirit of Adventure. The 2020 season will include a larger number of mid-sized vessels compared with 2019.

Melanie Henderson, Lerwick Port Authority’s Cruise & Marketing Manager, said: “The signs are very positive for growth again next year with an encouraging number of cruise lines scheduling repeat calls in the season and three new cruise lines visiting for the first time – Carnival, Mystic and TUI.”

Lerwick’s 2019 cruise season had a number of cancellations because of external factors, such as weather en-route and operational changes, with a final passenger count of over 76,200.

Henderson added: “Call-offs to scheduled visits are disappointing for the passengers and everyone involved onshore, particularly when the causes are beyond our control. Lerwick and Shetland’s reputation as a must-see destination is as strong as ever, with a number of accolades in 2019 and bookings up to four years ahead.

“The supply and service sector in the islands is making an increasingly important contribution in meeting the industry’s requirements and encouraging operators to return.”

Incheon Port Authority to slash passenger vessel emissions with ABB shore power

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 20 September 2019 20 September 2019

ABB has secured the contract covering South Korea’s commitment to sustainable shore-to-ship power, after a pilot scheme for passenger ships to plug into the local grid received the go ahead from Incheon Port Authority (IPA).

“As the first agreement covering shore-to-ship power in South Korea, this is a truly significant breakthrough for ABB,” said Juha Koskela, Managing Director, ABB Marine & Ports. “We are honored to be selected by IPA to support their efforts in reducing greenhouse gas emissions from ships, as well as moving towards increasingly sustainable port operations.”

In addition to a new USD 160 million ferry terminal opened in April 2019, Port of Incheon inaugurated South Korea’s largest cruise terminal in June this year. Given its metropolitan location and IPA’s ambitions to develop its ‘Golden Harbor’ vision for Incheon as a new tourism hub for the Northeast Asia, environmental credentials rank highly in port priorities.

ABB’s full scope of delivery includes the installation of an onshore power connection at the Incheon passenger terminal consisting of an enclosure featuring a 2000 kVA capacity Static Frequency Convertor with 50/60HZ output, a transformer, a Neutral Grounding Registor Unit and an outdoor enclosure.

ABB’s shore-to-ship power technology is proven from the performance and reliability point of view, but also in terms of optimizing the cost of electricity. It has already been integrated by over 50 ports around the world into strategies that reduce emissions overall and incentivize clean shipping.

An increasing number of ports around the world offer shore power for ferries, as well as other passenger vessel types. There is a clear interest to lower pollution in ports, and one way of doing that is to install shore power and have a clean grid feeding to it.

Cruise tourism brought Svalbard $12 million in earnings in 2018

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 13 September 2019 13 September 2019

A new study of the economic impact of cruise tourism in Svalbard shows that expedition and conventional cruise ships made a substantial contribution to the local economy by purchasing goods and services for more than USD 12 million last year.

Tourism has been highlighted as an important industry for Svalbard now and in the years to come. As Arctic tourism continues to grow, the travel industry is taking steps to contribute to knowledge-based management of tourism in Svalbard. So far, there has not existed an overview of how much money cruise operators leave behind in the community when visiting Svalbard. A new study brings these facts to the table.

The study takes into account personal spending by passengers while they are ashore as well as all the goods and services that the operator purchases locally, such as supplies, shore and sea-based excursions, accommodation, port facilities and fees.

The study shows that expedition cruises have an average economic contribution of 4,235 NOK (USD 474) per passenger, while conventional cruises have an economic contribution of 810 NOK (USD 90) per passenger. The economic contribution per expedition cruise passenger is 5,2 times larger than that of conventional cruise passengers. Expedition cruise ships make substantial purchases locally in Svalbard, contributing to their high economic contribution per passenger.

Conventional cruising is used to describe cruise operators on transit call in Longyearbyen where Svalbard is one of many destinations in an international cruise itinerary. Expedition cruising is characterized by smaller vessels that are not reliant on port infrastructure and bring passengers close to nature by making landings in more remote areas. For the purpose of this study, expedition cruising has been defined as a cruise operator that is a member of the AECO that operates in the Arctic and others with interest in the industry.

The total economic contribution generated by cruise tourism in Svalbard in 2018 is estimated to be 110 million NOK (USD 12 million). Expedition cruises, which carried 17 245 passengers to Svalbard in 2018, contribute with two thirds of the amount, while conventional cruises contribute with a third. The sheer volume of conventional cruise passengers, with 45 097 passengers in 2018, means that even though there is a low per passenger expenditure, they still make up a substantial amount of the economic impact. Estimates show that the number of cruise passengers visiting Svalbard will increase next year, leading to an increase in local revenue from cruise tourism.

The Epinion study was presented at the Optimal Tourism Balance Workshop in Longyearbyen September 11, 2019. The study was commissioned by Visit Svalbard and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and funded by Svalbard Environmental Protection Fund.

Representatives of the travel industry believe that this study will help enlighten the debate around cruise tourism in Svalbard.

Bantry Bay Port Company aims to Increase the number of cruise calls to Bantry Harbour

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 13 September 2019 13 September 2019

Bantry Bay Port Company held a cruise seminar in the Maritime Hotel, Bantry on Thursday 29th August 2019 to launch their cruise strategy for Bantry. Entitled ‘Collectively Growing Cruise Tourism in Bantry’ the seminar was aimed at local attractions and businesses in the area and is an opportunity to get an insight into the cruise industry in Ireland and globally and how Bantry can capitalise on this market while remaining sensitive to Bantry harbour and its environs.

The Port of Cork, who control and operate Bantry Bay Port Company have a wealth of experience when it comes to the cruise industry. Since 1990, Cobh has been handling cruise liners with over 100 calls in 2019 and some of the largest vessels visiting.

Bantry Bay Port Company operates as a tender port with no dedicated cruise berth; however this will not impede Bantry from growing. The smaller cruise liner market or ‘expedition’ market has huge growth potential and it is this market that Bantry hopes to capitalise on over the next few years, with the guidance of the Port of Cork.

The expedition market, once a small niche, is now set for dramatic growth with 40 or more ships already on order for the 2023 market. Both new entrants and established cruise lines, ranging from Celebrity Cruises to Crystal Cruises, Hapag Lloyd, Hurtigruten, Seabourn Cruise Line and Silversea Cruises, have each announced plans for new expedition cruise ships. This expedition market is all about the experience for passengers on smaller vessels which can easily access remote places that the larger cruise liners cannot.

Port of Cork Chief Executive Brendan Keating said: "The destination is the centre stage and the ship is the vehicle to get there. In this case, Bantry is the main attraction and we need to attract the right vessels for passengers to see this beautiful part of the world. However, we (Port of Cork) cannot do it alone and that is why we want to collectively grow this business with the local area and the many exciting attractions and businesses."

He continued: "As the cruise business in Bantry continues to grow, a wider and united approach with the county council, shore excursion companies, local tourism organisations and attractions is needed to promote the region and the activities which cruise passengers can enjoy during their visit."

Speaking at the cruise seminar in Bantry weree Conor Mowlds Chairman of Cruise Ireland, Chris Coates Group Commercial Director for Cruise & Maritime Voyages, Derry Cronin Specialised Travel Services, Michael McCarthy Chairman of Cruise Europe and Michael Pat Murphy and Assistant Harbour Master Bantry Bay Port Company.

In 2019 Bantry handled 10 cruise liner calls bringing over 8,000 passengers and crew. In 2020 there are 14 calls with some repeat visitors and maiden calls expected.