Ports & destinations

Malmö granted permission to receive 300 metre long cruise ships

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 07 December 2016 07 December 2016

Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) which operates the ports in the Danish capital and in the third largest city of Sweden across the Sound, said it has been given the go-ahead by the Swedish Maritime Administration to receive larger cruise ships in Malmö.

The decision represents a major boost for cruise tourism in Malmö. Over ten thousand passengers are already booked for the 2018 cruise season, the port company said in a statement.

A constraint on cruise ships visiting Malmö has been that the ships are not permitted to exceed a length of 240 metres. CMP has therefore had extensive simulations carried out in order to ascertain whether it is possible to receive larger ships and thus more cruise passengers to Malmö. The tests were conducted during the autumn with very positive results.

“The fact that CMP has been given the go-ahead from the Swedish Maritime Administration to receive ships of up to 300 metres creates entirely new conditions for the cruise operation here in Malmö. It is an important decision both for us and for the city of Malmö, as larger ships bring with them more people. We already have ten arrivals booked for the 2018 cruise season, which represents over ten thousand passengers”, says Arnt Møller Pedersen, Head of Cruise Traffic at Copenhagen Malmö Port AB.

The simulations were conducted over a number of days in Göteborg with different types of ship, which had to undergo different kinds of weather conditions and wind forces. A total of 18 dockings were performed with the conditions to be found in Frihamnen in Malmö. It must be possible to manoeuvre the ships that visit Malmö at a speed of 3 knots and with a side wind of 10 m/s without the assistance of pilot boats.

Hamburg expects record number of cruise ship calls in 2017

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 06 December 2016 06 December 2016

Terminal operator Cruise Gate Hamburg (CGH) has every reason to celebrate. During 2016 it has experienced a record-breaking 171 cruise ship visits to Hamburg and a turnaround of over 710,000 passengers. Cruise Gate Hamburg expects these figures to rise to 200 arrivals and roughly 800,000 passengers in the 2017 season. “This is an excellent result given that this is the first year we are fully operational,” says Sacha Rougier, Managing Director of Cruise Gate Hamburg GmbH. “Our work behind the scenes and the close dialogue with the cruise companies resulted in a record number of passengers in 2016. This strategy will pay off in 2017 and the coming years as well. This extraordinary development is also due to the close co-operation with Hamburg Tourismus and Hamburg Cruise Center, within the Cruise Shipping Initiative of Hamburg, calls Cruise Net Hamburg.”

Hamburg’s growing popularity as a cruise destination is not least due to spectacular events, such as the Hamburg Cruise Days and the Blue Port Hamburg, a combined event that draws large crowds. The high-profile maritime event, which next takes place from 8 to 10 September 2017, lures hundreds of thousands of cruise enthusiasts to the port and together with the Harbour’s anniversary (5-7 May 2017) has become one of the major events in the Hanseatic city’s event calendar.

Of particular importance for the cruise industry is the combination of public event and business event. “The strategic decision to stage the Hamburg Cruise Days, a spectator’s event, simultaneously with international industry events such as Seatrade Europe, a major European trade fair, strengthens Hamburg as a location for business and reinforces our city’s reputation as a centre of excellence for the international cruise industry,” says Michael Otremba who, in his capacity as the Managing Director of Hamburg Convention Bureau and Hamburg Tourismus, also is the licensor of the event. In addition Hamburg has numerous other highlights for cruise fans in store. The Norwegian Jade, Norwegian Joy, Mein Schiff 6, Independence of the Seas, MSC Preziosa and Silver Wind - all mega-cruise ships - will call at the Hanseatic city for the first time. The majority of cruise passengers start their journey with AIDA Cruises, MSC Cruises, TUI Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Costa.

Hamburg Cruise Days on September

The Hamburg Cruise Days have become a fixture in the Hanseatic city. Their importance is reflected in the commitment of cruise liner companies, which has been increasing for years. Next year’s sixth Hamburg Cruise Days are expected to see record participation levels. No fewer than 10 cruise ships will call at the Hanseatic city over the Hamburg Cruise Days weekend: the AIDAprima (AIDA Cruises), MSC Preziosa (MSC Cruises), Europa and Europa 2 (both Hapag-Lloyd Cruises), Mein Schiff 3 (TUI Cruises), Albatros and Amadea (both Phoenix Reisen), Silver Wind (Silversea Cruises), Norwegian Jade (Norwegian Cruise Line), and the river cruise ship Sans Souci (Plantours). Their parade will be one of the largest – if not the largest – parade of cruise ships in the world. On the eve of the event’s Saturday 6 cruise ships, accompanied by 24 smaller boats and a brilliant display of fireworks, will sail down the River Elbe. “The parade will beat everything you’ve ever seen,” says event organiser Uwe Bergmann. Other highlights on the water will be a fireworks display on Friday night and “Cruise Night” with many of the passenger boats offering themed boat rides on the River Elbe.

NYCruise launches campaign to promote its Brooklyn and Manhattan Cruise Terminals

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 05 December 2016 05 December 2016

NYCruise, which promotes New York City to the cruise industry, said it has launched a marketing campaign encouraging people to cruise out of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Cruise Terminals.

“The new campaign is consumer-focused and will raise awareness for New York City as a homeport by targeting local, tri-state and regional passengers with the message to “choose cruise.” NYCruise’s consumer-focused efforts build on its ongoing engagement with the Cruise industry,” the organisation said in a statement.

Components of the yearlong campaign were first deployed in late November and will continue to be deployed throughout the tri-state area through the first week in January 2017, running through Q1. The campaign will appear in the following markets/media:

Shopping Malls: Fair Oaks (Washington, DC/Fairfax, VA); Westfarms (Hartford, CT); Stamford Town Center and The Mall at Short Hills
Boston: Bus shelters and street furniture across the city, starting in January
New York City: Bus shelters and newsstands located across the five boroughs
PATH trains: Posters in stations and railcars, system-wide
Metro North: Posters at stations throughout the MNR system, as well as a mailer being sent to 32,000 passengers who receive their monthly passes by mail.
Staten Island Ferry: Posters on the ferry, and in the Whitehall and St. George terminals
Industry Publications
Social media: through facebook.com/nycruise

The new NYCruise campaign leverages over $1 million in media value.

NYCruise Stats:

Port: NYC is 5th busiest cruise port in the country and offers cruises year-round.
Number of NYCruise passengers in 2015: 1,049,719
Terminals: Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and Manhattan Cruise Terminal
Primary destinations: Canada & New England, the Caribbean, Bermuda, Florida and Transatlantic
Homeport for: Norwegian Cruise Line ,Carnival Cruise Line, Cunard Line, Princess Cruise Lines, Disney Cruise Line, AIDA Cruises, Holland American Line, Oceania Cruises, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Crystal Cruise Lines, Silversea Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises
Number of cruises departing out of NYC each year: Approximately 200
New at NYCruise: Disney Magic will return to Manhattan Cruise Terminal in fall 2017 for trips to the Canadian Coast and Bahamas

Scotland expects one fifth’s jump in cruise calls 2017

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 06 December 2016 06 December 2016

Scotland has attracted another record-breaking cruise season for 2017, with the growing popularity as a destination more than doubling the number of cruise calls and passengers in less than a decade and making major contributions to the national economy, said Cruise Scotland, which promotes the kingdom to the cruise industry.

“The promise of another busy summer follows a seventh successive best-yet season in 2016 when there were 676 visits by cruise ships, up 35% on 2015 and bringing around 484,000 passengers, an increase of 5.3%,” the organisation said in a statement

Ports and their hinterlands around mainland Scotland and the islands shared a market with an estimated value of almost £56 million in 2016.

There are currently 808 ships, including more large vessels, booked to call in 2017, up 19.5% on 2016, with an anticipated 35%-plus jump in the number of passengers to around 656,000. A number of cruise lines are returning with more calls next year when the annual value to the Scottish economy is expected to reach more than £72.5 million.

Cruise Scotland Chairman, Andrew Hemphill, commented: “The expectations for next year will mean that since 2010, the organisation’s first full year, ship numbers, passengers and their spend will all have more than doubled.

MedCruise to offer cruise ports perspectives in the EU Skills and Career development in the Blue Economy policy

Details: Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 02 December 2016 02 December 2016

Following a call by the European Commission (Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs & Fisheries), MedCruise has been selected to contribute in the works of the European expert group on Skills and Career development in the Blue Economy.

The task of the group is to advice the Commission on matters pertaining to the education, training, skills and career development within the blue economy. The appointment is effective from November 2016, and for a period of three years.

Cruise ports in the Med and its adjoining seas has been vital for enabling cruise ships to be deployed in European waters, generating more than 40 billion euros and almost 350,000 European jobs every year.

Now, via their association, they will have an excellent opportunity to share updated information and to provide concrete input to the Commission's policy work, thus expanding their contribution to the society.

MedCruise will provide cruise perspectives into the development of the skills policy for the marine and maritime sectors in Europe.

With its members hosting almost 18% of the global cruise passenger movements, MedCruise will also provide a vital support to DG MARE into the implementation of the possible actions planned, through i.e. communication activities.

"Cruise ports in the Med want to create the conditions for the new generation of European citizens to “go maritime” knowing the career opportunities available and having the wanted skills. Given the complexity and variety of the issue, MedCruise, having a more than two decades expertise in advancing cruising, is looking forward to join group representatives from different sectors of the blue economy and represent most effectively the perspectives of cruise ports," said Thanos Pallis, MedCruise Secretary General.