Cruise ships continue to resume service at quick pace, Fincantieri says

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 12 November 2021 12 November 2021

Fincantieri, the listed Italian company that is the world’s largest cruise ship builder, estimates that up to four of five cruise ships will be in service by the end of this year, a significant increase from the levels last month.

The cruise industry continues to experience a significant resumption of activities, with 206 ships in service. This is equal to 57% of global fleet,  from 65 different cruise operators, as of October. 

Citing principal cruise shipping companies, Fincantieri estimated that the number of vessels in service is expected to reach 70% to 80% of their fleets by the end of the year. 

“This relapse benefits from an extremely solid trend in bookings, as pointed out by all main operators, such as Carnival, which announced on its August earnings results higher booking levels for the second half 2022 compared with the same period of 2019, with no reduction on ticket prices,” Fincantieri said in a statement.

“The ongoing focus to create further efficiencies in engineering and production processes, together with the investments carried out in the last few years, allowed the Group to fully ensure the production programs, with six cruise ships delivered in the period, four of which in the sole third quarter,” Fincantieri noted.

Revenue trend in cruise ship building is boosted by the resumption of activities at full speed in the group’s Italian shipyards, with record production volumes despite the safety protocols put in place to face the spread of Covid-19. 

Global Ports Holding venture preferred bidder to run Canaries ports

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 10 November 2021 10 November 2021

Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH), the world's largest independent cruise port operator, said that following a public tender process, the Port Authority of Las Palmas has awarded preferred bidder status to Global Ports Canary Islands S.L. ("GPCI"), an 80:20 joint venture between GPH and Sepcan S.L. to operate cruise port concessions for Las Palmas Cruise Ports in the Canary Islands in Spain.

The news came only about three weeks after GPH had won a contract to operate and develop cruise facilities in Kalundborg in Denmark, its first contract in the Baltic Sea region.

“The concessions cover the port of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, port of Arrecife (Lanzarote) and Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura), which have tenures of 40 years, 20 years and 20 years respectively. Following successful execution of the concession agreements, GPH, as part of GPCI, will use its global expertise and operating model to manage the cruise port operations in Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura,” the company said in a statement.

Global Ports Holding (GPH), GPCI and the Port Authority of Las Palmas would now work towards agreeing on the terms of the concession agreements. The concessions are expected to commence before the end of the current financial year, although there can be no certainty as to the timing or that the final conditions will be satisfied. Las Palmas Ports (including the three islands), with about 1.5 million passengers annually, is ranked 3rd busiest ports in Spain after Barcelona and the Balearic Islands and in top 20 of Europe.

Las Palmas Ports are a key destination for Southern Atlantic itineraries with great airlift connectivity. During the pandemic in 2020 unlike other European ports that were closed to cruise traffic, the three ports in Las Palmas welcomed over 500,000 passengers with the “bubble cruises” around the islands. “There is a huge demand on winter cruising in the region due to the mild climate during this period of the year compared with other regions in Europe and the cultural and outdoor activities,” GPH said.

GPH has its headquarters in Istanbul and it is listed in London.

NCLH unveils changes in top management

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 09 November 2021 09 November 2021

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH), the world’s third largest cruise shipping company, has announced changes at the executive leadership level.

These include the appointment of Howard Sherman, current Executive Vice President, Onboard Revenue and Destination Services for Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, as Bob Binder’s successor as President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceania Cruises effective January 1, 2022.

Binder will remain with the Company in an advisory role as Vice Chairman reporting to Frank Del Rio, President and Chief Executive Officer of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

The changes also include the promotion of Ross Henderson as Sherman’s successor leading the Company’s Onboard Revenue and Destination Services functions effective January 1, 2022.

Binder is co-founder of Oceania Cruises and played a vital role the development and growth of the brand since its inception. During his tenure he has overseen virtually every facet of the brand’s global operations including Marketing, Sales, Public Relations, e-Commerce, Brand Finance, and Guest Services.

Binder led the growth of the brand with the design and development of the line’s acclaimed Marina and Riviera and spearheaded the industry leading “OceaniaNEXT” brand evolution initiative. Binder has served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Oceania Cruises since September 2016 and as Vice Chairman, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises since May 2015.

CLIA environmental report highlights areas of progress, reiterates support for R&D fund

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 09 November 2021 09 November 2021

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), the leading voice of the global cruise industry, has released the CLIA Global Cruise Industry Environmental Technologies and Practices Inventory and associated Environmental Report produced by Oxford Economics (OE), the organisation said in a statement. 

The report, which demonstrates the industry’s commitment to responsible tourism practices and continued progress on the development and implementation of new environmental technologies, is published as CLIA ocean-going members commit to pursue net carbon neutral cruising by 2050.

The report notes that CLIA ocean-going cruise lines continue to make substantial progress across a range of areas:

Shore-side Power Capability

Cruise lines continue to make significant investments for cruise ships to connect to shoreside electricity, thus allowing engines to be switched off in port.  While significant investment in portside infrastructure will be required, there are many collaborations between cruise lines, ports and local authorities to increase the availability.

82% of the new build capacity is either committed to be fitted with shore-side electricity capability or will be configured to add shore-side power in the future.

35% of global capacity (up 2.3 percentage point since 2020) are fitted to operate on shore-side electricity in the 14 ports worldwide where that capability is provided in at least one berth.

LNG Fuel

The 2021 report found 52% of new build capacity will rely on LNG fuel for primary propulsion, a 3-percentage point increase in overall capacity compared to 2020.

Exhaust Gas Cleaning Systems (EGCS)

More than 76% of global capacity utilizes EGCS to meet or exceed air emissions requirements, representing an increase in capacity of 7 percentage points compared to 2020. Additionally, 94% of non-LNG new builds will have EGCS installed, in line with already high historical level of investments.

Advanced Wastewater Treatment Systems

All new ships on order are specified to have advanced wastewater treatment systems and currently 74% of the CLIA oceangoing cruise line fleet capacity is served by advanced wastewater treatment systems (an increase of 4 percentage points over 2020). Notably, nearly 20% of fleet capacity is equipped with AWTS approved and capable of meeting the nitrogen and phosphorous discharge standards of the IMO MARPOL Annex IV Baltic Sea Special Area

CLIA member cruise lines have committed to a 40% reduction in the rate of carbon emissions across the global fleet by 2030, compared to 2008, consistent with the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) carbon intensity reduction level of ambition.

CLIA supports proposed $5 billion IMO R&D fund

“This report shows that the cruise industry is resilient, innovative and focused on the future” said Pierfrancesco Vago, Chairman of CLIA Global. “We know that there is more to be done but the cruise industry has shown both its commitment and its capability to rise to the challenge.  The cruise industry is an enabler of green maritime innovation, which will be the key to decarbonization of shipping.  This is why CLIA has joined other maritime organisations to propose a $5 billion IMO research and development fund to accelerate the development of zero GHG fuels and propulsion technologies.”