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Latest Caribbean cruise destination opens for business in Honduras

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 18 October 2014 18 October 2014

On 15 October, Norwegian Cruise Line’s 2,376-passenger Norwegian Jewel called at Banana Coast, the newest Caribbean cruise destination, with 2,200 passengers. It was the first mega cruise ship call at the Trujillo port. Alan Lam reports.

The ship was welcomed by Ricardo Alvarez, the vice president of Honduras, who officiated at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and traditional plaque exchange attended by Jose Lainez, the mayor of Trujillo, Captain Sven Kenneth Harstrom, master of Norwegian Jewel, and Randy Jorgensen, general manager of Grand Trujillo Autoridad, the port developer.

“The call went extremely well,” said Jorgensen. “The product is a winner and the community and destination received very positive reviews from the exit interviews we conducted. The positive response was validated by Norwegian’s shore excursion team asking us to add more tour capacity as soon as possible.”

According to Jorgensen there were however a few expected hiccups owing to congestion caused by local residents wanting to welcome the arrival of the passengers. He acknowledged that work on traffic flow was needed. The authorities already began to implement changes as soon as the ship had departed. “We expect improvements with every call going forward,” added Jorgensen.

Almost all the shore excursions offered were sold out. 900 guests were accommodated on organised tours. The line expects high demand during its next 12 scheduled weekly calls.

Banana Coast Tours offers 15 tours that, among others, include snorkelling, kayaking, waterfall explorations, horse riding, mangrove boat rides, and a variety of other cultural, historical and gastronomic excursions.

In total six cruise lines have slated 29 calls on eight ships at Banana Coast during the current 2014-2015 Caribbean cruise season: Holland America Line was the first major cruise line to plan to a series of calls to this destination from November 2014 to March 2015; Silversea Cruises will have a number of calls in December 2014 and March 2015; P&O Cruises and Oceania Cruises plan to call in the first quarter of 2015.

Liverpool back in square one after Cunard Building conversion to cruise terminal abandoned

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 15 October 2014 15 October 2014

Liverpool in the north west of England is back to square one with its plans after a report in the local press said the council has been forced to abandon a plan to convert former head office of Cunard Line into a cruise terminal due to "astronomical cost."

Mayor Anderson said a report commissioned by the council about the feasibility of the project– which it is not releasing until the end of the month – suggests the price tag to convert the Cunard would have been anything from £5 million to £60 million, Liverpool Echo reported on its website.

In order to satisfy border control requirements, options including creating a monorail from the building to the embarking point would have had to be considered. In a statement, Mayor Anderson said: “The report, although not public, is commercially sensitive, but I am revealing today...that there are a number of options put forward and costs. We must in addition to cost be mindful of the fact that we do not want to do anything that impacts on the World Heritage site the building is on.

“In light of these findings it is clear we will not be able to progress with this plan. However, I want to reassure the city that we will find a solution and we will create a first class cruise liner terminal for our city and we have already begun conversations about other possible waterfront locations,” the mayor was reported as saying.

The city council purchased the listed building that was constructed in 1914-17 last year. it is located at the Pier Head, one of the most famous shipping landmarks of the world. Liverpool currently handles both cruise calls and turn arounds by using a temporary structure near ther Pier Head.

Gothenburg enjoys record cruise year, but entire region poised to see slowdown next year.

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 15 October 2014 15 October 2014

Cruise tourism set a new record in Gothenburg this year. From April to October, 73 cruise ships visited Gothenburg, carrying 110,000 visitors. In total, cruise tourism generated around SEK 60 million in pure tourist revenue for Sweden's second largest city that has a population in the region of half a million. However, next year does not look quite as good as the entire region is poised to see a fall in cruise ship calls.

This means cruising is the most rapidly growing travel segment in the world and this is definitely noticeable in Gothenburg. This year, 73 ships, carrying 110,000 cruise travellers, visited the city.

Jill Söderwall, Head of Cruise Operations at the Port of Gothenburg, said: "This is an all-time high. Never before have we had so many calls. The peak was in May when we had seven calls and 12,500 guests in just two days. Everyone at the port was working flat out."

Together with Göteborg & Co, the Port of Gothenburg has invested heavily in marketing itself to cruise lines, an initiative that has produced dividends. Cruise traffic to Gothenburg has increased from nine calls in 2000 to 73 calls in 2014. Gothenburg is now the second-largest cruise destination in Sweden after Stockholm.

The rise in cruise tourism is definitely benefiting Gothenburg. The average cruise tourist spends around SEK 600 on shopping, eating and sightseeing during the stopover in Gothenburg. This means around SEK 60 million is generated in pure tourist revenue for the city.

Sara Sundaeus, Cruise Manager at Göteborg & Co, said: "Gothenburg is a very popular cruise destination. The visitors enjoy the cosy atmosphere of the city, the large number of cafes and restaurants and the fact that everything is within walking distance."

The majority who cruise to Gothenburg are from Germany, the UK and the USA. Most of the cruise tourists are visiting Gothenburg for the first time. Next year fewer ships are expected although the number of visitors will be almost the same. To date, 61 ships carrying just over 100,000 visitors, are scheduled to call at Gothenburg during 2015.

Jill Södervall explained: "We can see a general fall in the number of calls by cruise ships throughout the whole region next year. We regard the fact that we have succeeded in attracting as many as 61 ships as clear evidence that we have done a good job in welcoming our guests to the city."

New emission control rules will take effect from the start of 2015, which has resulted in fewer cruises in the region concerned.

Denmark to restrict Greenland cruising to south and west coasts for most ships

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 14 October 2014 14 October 2014

The Danish Maritime Authority (DMA) has decided to restrict most cruise ships to operate only on the south and west coasts of Greenland due to concerns over the availability of Search and Rescue (SAR) capacity on the island, a senior DMA executive said. Ships with capacity for more than 250 passengers would only be allowed to operate in the said area. In addition, new rules that are expected to take effect from the spring of 2015 will have to be ice strengthened if 10% of the voyage is expected to take place in ice conditions and the master or chief officer must have experience of at least three months in navigating in ice conditions. In addition, cruise ships that head for Greenland need to make contingency plans and coordinate their voyage with other ships in the area, while the master will have to make a risk assessment for the voyage, said Francis Zachriasen, deputy director general of DMA. Danish, Norwegian and Canadian satellites will be in position to provide AIS (automated identification system) information for ships in the waters of Greenland, which will help ships to plan their voyage and to coordinate it with other vessels in the region, he told a conference in Copenhagen last week. The legislation has passed Danish parliament, but it needs t be passed by the Greenland parliament as well. General elections are to be held shortly on the island that is a Danish crown dependency and the bill is expected to pass the legislature there next spring, Zachriasen said. Vessels with capacity for fewer than 250 passengers would be allowed further north than the larger ships on condition that they have ice class. About 17,000 passengers cruise in the waters of Greenland each year.

Sharp fall in cruise calls at Buenos Aires in 2014-15 season

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 14 October 2014 14 October 2014

Buenos Aires, a port that has experienced an uninterrupted growth in cruise traffic for the past ten years, will experience a sharp fall during the current season, which has just commenced in the Southern Hemisphere.

The overall fall in the number of tourists arriving in the country and the galloping operational costs for cruise ships are cited as two main reasons. Alan Lam reports. For the current South American cruise season, which runs from October 2014 to April 2015, the port has only secured 112 cruise calls, as compared to 161 of the previous season and 160 the season before that.

In terms of passenger numbers, the city expects to welcome about 347,600 this season, as compared to 487,390 during 2013-14, a fall of 28.7%. Only 28 ships will make these calls, a 20% fall from the 35 ships of the previous season. The overall number of international visitors arriving in Buenos Aires has been in decline in recent years.

However, the main reason for this sharp fall in cruise traffic is - according to Roberto Fusaro, Director General for South America, MSC Cruises – the high fees paid by cruise ship operators for the privilege of using the River Plate waterway. This has made the cost of operating in Buenos Aires three times higher than that of Barcelona. There has been a constant annual increase in this fee. In a very short time it has increased by 36%.

The contraction of local demand is another reason. This cruise season will be one month shorter than the previous owing to a reduction in the number of local customers. Buenos Aires depends heavily on local demands, as nearly 55% of Argentine passengers embark on their cruises from this port; only 3.7% are of foreign origin.