Decarbonisation debate dominates Posidonia Web Forums Week

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

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Published: 03 November 2020 03 November 2020

The issue of decarbonisation was hotly debated between international maritime industry stakeholders during the Posidonia Web Forums Week held over a plethora of digital platforms from 21 October το 3 November 2020, the  organisers of the event said in a statement.

Leading maritime media and policy organisations, such as Tradewinds, Lloyd’s List, Seatrade, Capital Link, Newsfront/Naftiliaki and Maritime London, as well as traditional Posidonia exhibitors and educational organisations, such as ABS, Marine Traffic, Isalos.net and BCA College, participated in this project.

And it was shipping business as usual, albeit on a new format, as the world of shipping converged online in their thousands to fill the physical void left by the cancelation of the 2020 edition of the biennial shipping exhibition due to the pandemic.

Registrations exceeded expectations and attendance and active participation was high at all times during the web events..

A total of 16 online events were held during the Posidonia Web Forums Week, which included the Annual European Shipping Seminar of the virtual event’s exclusive sponsor S&P Global Platts.

Charlotte Bucchioni, Associate Editor EMEA, S&P Global Platts, asserted that the industry is standing still in anticipation of the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) clarifications on decarbonisation compliance issues.She said: “We have to wait till 2023 to get a clearer picture from IMO with regards to what the shipping industry would have to do to comply. This has caused negative feedback from the industry which has an order book that is the lowest we have seen in ten years due to a combination of weaker crude demand due to carbon reduction targets and uncertainty over fuel regulations.”

Carnival Corporation's North American brands extend pause in cruise operations

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 03 November 2020 03 November 2020

Carnival Corporation & plc, the world's largest cruise company, today announced that its North American cruise line brands will extend their existing pause in operations, suspending cruise voyages between Dec. 1 and Dec. 31, 2020.

"Our highest responsibility and top priorities are always compliance, protecting the environment, and the health, safety and well-being of our guests, the people in communities we touch, our crew and shoreside employees," said Arnold Donald, CEO of Carnival Corporation. "We continue to work with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and global government and public health authorities, as well as top medical and science experts around the globe, on a comprehensive plan for the eventual restart of cruising in North America. With their collective guidance, we have developed and continue to update our enhanced health and safety protocols that are in the best interest of our guests, crew and overall public health. Whenever we restart our cruise operations in the U.S., we certainly look forward to welcoming our guests on board."

Individually, each brand has been communicating and will continue to communicate with guests to provide updates and direction regarding affected cruise vacations.

The date for restarting cruise operations will be communicated by each respective brand and available on their websites.

The company and its brands are also notifying crew members, travel professionals and other stakeholders.

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings extends suspension of voyages

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 02 November 2020 02 November 2020

Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd., a leading global cruise company which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, today announced a next extension of its previously announced suspension of global cruise voyages to include all voyages embarking between December 1 through December 31, 2020 for its three cruise brands. The Company will continue to work in tandem with global government and public health authorities and its Healthy Sail Panel expert advisors to take all necessary measures to protect its guests, crew and the communities visited.

CDC issues framework for resuming safe and responsible cruise operations

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

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Published: 30 October 2020 30 October 2020

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Framework for Conditional Sailing Order that introduces a phased approach for the safe and responsible resumption of passenger cruises. The Order establishes a framework of actionable items for the cruise line industry to follow so they can resume passenger operations with an emphasis on preventing the further spread of Covid-19 on cruise ships and from cruise ships into communities, and to protect public health and safety. The Order applies to passenger operations on cruise ships with the capacity to carry at least 250 passengers in waters subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

Recent outbreaks on cruise ships overseas provide current evidence that cruise ship travel facilitates and amplifies transmission of Covid-19 – even when ships sail at reduced passenger capacities – and would likely spread the disease into U.S. communities if passenger operations were to resume in the United States without public health oversight.

“This framework provides a pathway to resume safe and responsible sailing. It will mitigate the risk of Covid-19 outbreaks on ships and prevent passengers and crew from seeding outbreaks at ports and in the communities where they live,” says CDC Director Robert R. Redfield, M.D. “CDC and the cruise industry have a shared goal to protect crew, passengers, and communities and will continue to work together to ensure that all necessary public health procedures are in place before cruise ships begin sailing with passengers.”

Cruising safely and responsibly during a global pandemic is very challenging. The Framework for Conditional Sailing Order requires a phased approach to resuming passenger operations. A phased approach is necessary because of the continued spread of the Covid-19 pandemic worldwide, risk of resurgence in countries that have suppressed transmission, ongoing concerns related to restarting of cruising internationally, and need for additional time for the cruise industry to test the effectiveness of measures to control potential Covid-19 transmission on board cruise ships with passengers without burdening public health.

“CDC and the cruise industry have the same goal: A return to passenger sailing, but only when its safe. Under the CDC’s Framework for Conditional Sailing Order, cruise lines have been given a pathway to systematically demonstrate their ability to sail while keeping passengers, crew and their destination ports safe and healthy,” said former Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, co-chair of the Healthy Sail Panel.

During the initial phases, cruise ship operators must demonstrate adherence to testing, quarantine and isolation, and social distancing requirements to protect crew members while they build the laboratory capacity needed to test crew and future passengers. Subsequent phases will include simulated (mock) voyages with volunteers playing the role of passengers to test cruise ship operators’ ability to mitigate Covid-19 risk, certification for ships that meet specific requirements, and return to passenger voyages in a manner that mitigates Covid-19 risk among passengers, crew members, and communities.

“Our member lines are 100 percent committed to helping to protect the health of our guests, our crew and the communities we serve, and are prepared to implement multiple layers of protocols informed by the latest scientific and medical knowledge,” said Kelly Craighead, president and CEO of Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). “We look forward to reviewing the new Order and are optimistic that it is an important step toward returning our ships to service from U.S. ports.”

CDC will help ships prepare and protect crew members during the initial phases by:

– establishing a laboratory team dedicated to cruise ships to provide information and oversight for COVID-19 testing,
– updating its color-coding system to indicate ship status,
– updating its technical instructions, as needed, and
– updating the “Enhanced Data Collection (EDC) During COVID-19 Pandemic Form” to prepare for surveillance for COVID-19 among passengers.

CDC will continue to update its guidance and recommendations to specify basic safety standards and public health interventions based on the best scientific evidence available. For more information about COVID-19 and cruise ships, please visit www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/cruise-ship/what-cdc-is-doing.html and www.cdc.gov/quarantine/cruise.