Ports & destinations

Odyssey of the Seas Arrives at Port Everglades

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 11 June 2021 11 June 2021

Yesterday, Port Everglades welcomed Royal Caribbean’s Odyssey of the Seas to her homeport for the first time. Odyssey of the Seas will be the first Quantum Ultra Class cruise ship to sail in the United States when it begins sailing with passengers on Saturday, July 3.

“What a way to start the day with the arrival of the newest, most innovative ship on the ocean, Odyssey of the Seas. Port Everglades is ready for cruising to start again, and we are thrilled to welcome guests and crew back to Broward County and Port Everglades,” said Port Everglades Chief Executive and Port Director Jonathan Daniels. “We all want to see cruising come back, and first and foremost, we want it to come back in a safe and secure manner.”

The 169,000 gross ton ship is preparing for its first cruise since Royal Caribbean took delivery on March 31, 2021. Odyssey of the Seas will sail roundtrip from Port Everglades on 6- and 8-night Caribbean cruises through April 2022.

MSC Cruises to build and operate new terminal in Barcelona

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 02 June 2021 02 June 2021

MSC Cruises has obtained final approval by the Port of Barcelona’s Board of Directors to build and operate an exclusive cruise terminal. This multi-year concession will see the construction of an innovative terminal of 11,670 square meters (≈125,614 sq. ft.) that MSC Cruises will operate and manage for a 31-year period. The project is estimated to represent a EUR 33 million investment by MSC Cruises. With construction work set to start shortly, the new terminal is expected to enter service in 2024.

Pierfrancesco Vago, MSC Cruises’ Executive Chairman, said: “We are particularly pleased with the award of this multi-year new terminal concession. Barcelona is not only an important homeport for the cruises division, but also for the entire Group and its shipping business. As such, the new terminal is a further proof of MSC Group’s longstanding commitment to the city of Barcelona and the entire Catalonia region.

“I am also honored that for this project we will able to partner with the impressive Ricardo Bofill and his firm. Together, we will build a state-of-the-art new terminal that is bound to become another landmark for the beautiful city of Barcelona.

“Perhaps most importantly, the new terminal will allow us to operate expanded homeport operations, resulting in added direct and indirect economic benefit for the city and the overall region. This will come from higher spent locally by our international guests either flying into or out of Barcelona airport and likely to spend additional days in the city and its hotels together with their traveling parties. Homeport operations will also allow us to dedicate to Barcelona more of our new ships – including the LNG-powered MSC World Europa which is currently under constructions and is shaping up to become one of the most environmentally friendly ships at sea when she comes into service.

“Finally, the new terminal allows us to further demonstrate our commitment to environmental sustainability as it will feature both shore power facilities as well as LNG bunkering operations.”

This project will allow MSC Cruises to consolidate its presence in Barcelona, which is one of the brand’s most important ports in the Western Med, and to expand its homeporting operations out of the city. This will result in added direct and indirect economic benefit for the city and region as more international guests will transit through Barcelona, likely spending additional days in the city either before or after their cruise.

The new terminal, which will feature shore power facilities and be ready for LNG bunkering operations, will also allow MSC Cruises to deploy more next-generation, environmentally friendly ships in Barcelona. This includes MSC World Europa, the brand’s first LNG-powered cruise ship, which is currently under construction and due to enter service in 2022.

For this project MSC Cruises is partnering with the globally renowned Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill and his studio. Together, they hope to build a state-of-the-art terminal that becomes become another landmark for the city.

Not only is Barcelona an important port for MSC Cruises, but also for the entire MSC Group. Both cargo operator MSC Mediterranean Shipping Company and ferry operator GNV have a solid presence in the port. As such, the new terminal is a further proof of MSC Group’s longstanding commitment to Barcelona, Catalonia and the whole of Spain.

Adventure of the Seas arrives its new base port

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 11 June 2021 11 June 2021

Adventure of the Seas, the fifteen-deck Voyager-class cruise ship operated by Royal Caribbean International, made its arrival into Nassau on June 9 for the restart of cruising. The vessel, which can accommodate 3,807 passengers at full capacity, entered the harbour with no passengers aboard – only crew members. It will leave Nassau on Saturday, June 12, 2021, at reduced occupancy, commencing the first in its “7-Night Bahamas & Perfect Day” summer series. The ship was escorted steadily into the harbour with a grand water salute courtesy of the Nassau Harbour Pilots Association.

“We couldn’t be happier,” exclaimed Mike Maura, CEO of Nassau Cruise Port, when asked about the arrival of the ship. “This vessel and all the hope that this first voyage will carry out to sea on Saturday have been a long time in the making. We are very appreciative that Royal Caribbean has chosen to partner with us, with the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism, and all our industry partners to make this home port launch from Nassau possible. As you can imagine, we are all extremely excited and working overtime to ensure that this launch is successful.”

Passengers will be greeted to a warm Bahamian “Party In da Backyard” upon their arrival at the port on Saturday, which will include ice-cold Kaliks, courtesy of Commonwealth Brewery, live music, Junkanoo performances, drills by the students of the LJM Maritime Academy, and much more. The entire event will be live streamed on the Nassau Cruise Port Facebook account beginning at 12 noon.

In addition to the economic benefits that The Bahamas will experience as the industry rebounds, Mr. Maura noted that Bahamians can also participate in this exciting venture in a new way - by starting a cruise vacation in Nassau instead of flying abroad for the first time. “I’ve heard of a few Bahamians who will be sailing aboard Adventure of the Seas on this trip and I’m sure there will be many more of us who will take advantage of this incredible opportunity.”

“This is our time to shine and to put Nassau on the map as a homeporting destination of choice,” he added. “We will do so with immense pride, making the Bahamian people proud and making our guests and cruise line partners excited that they chose to start and end their cruise in Nassau. This is the beginning of an incredible voyage for us all.”

Global Ports Holding raises strategic financing to strengthen balance sheet and pursue growth opportunities

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 24 May 2021 24 May 2021

Global Ports Holding Plc (GPH), the world's largest independent cruise port operator, and Sixth Street, a leading global investment firm, have entered into a $261 million financing arrangement. This new investment from Sixth Street will strengthen GPH’s balance sheet and provide flexible growth capital for GPH to pursue expansion opportunities at a dynamic juncture in the global cruise industry.

“GPH operates ports in some of the most important cruise hubs in the Caribbean and Mediterranean and benefits from real scale across the world’s major cruise destinations,” said Michael Griffin, Partner at Sixth Street and head of the Specialty Lending team in Europe. “We believe GPH is well-positioned to continue to grow its long-term relationships in key markets as the cruise industry and the local economies that depend on it begin to recover.”

“As the world’s largest independent cruise port operator, this timely capital raise reinforces our position as the market leader and gives us the financial flexibility to take advantage of growth opportunities with the resumption of cruising,” said H. Emre Sayın, CEO of Global Ports Holding Plc. “We appreciate Sixth Street providing us with financing certainty at an important moment for the global cruise industry, and we look forward to using this capital to continue to expand our business.”

With the latest addition of Taranto Cruise Port to its network, today Global Ports Holding operates 20 ports in 13 countries. Its industry leading ports, Valletta Cruise Port and Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore, were the first to start operations with their Health & Safety Protocols approved through collaboration with all local stakeholders. Today, the GPH Cruise Ports which have been awarded the “Safe Travels” stamp by the WTTC, are ready to welcome the cruise passengers to their destinations.