Ports & destinations

Liverpool City Council commissions cruise terminal design

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 30 March 2016 30 March 2016

The Liverpool City Council in the UK has decided to commission a design for a permanent cruise terminal able to handle turnaround calls by vessels of 3,600 passenger capacity and to replace the current, temporary and much smaller structure.

“The city council has appointed an international consultancy team led by Arup and including KKA Architects, Royal Haskoning DHV Engineering and cost consultants Turner and Townsend to produce a concept design,” Cruise Liverpool, which promotes the city as a cruise port, said in a statement.

“They will come up with a robust, fully costed plan for a terminal capable of handling 3,600 embarking and disembarking passengers with baggage – three times as many as the existing facility. The site would include passport control, passenger lounge, café, toilets, taxi rank, vehicle pick up point, coach layover area and a car park.”

The former Princes Jetty at Princes Parade, close to the landing stage, is preferred location and a potentially suitable site. The decision to replace the temporary structure follows a doubling in the number of vessels visiting Liverpool since it became a turnaround facility in 2012 – up from 31 to 61. Passenger numbers are up from 38,656 four years ago to an expected 86,365 this year.

The council previously planned to convert Cunard Building, formerly headquarters of the famous shipping company, to a cruise terminal, but closer inspection revealed that the project would not be feasible due to cost and hence a new building will have to be erected instead.

SCH secures exclusive agreement to handle cruise ships in Liverpool

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 14 March 2016 14 March 2016

Cruise handling specialists SCH have been awarded a contract for up to three years to provide stevedore services to all cruise ships calling at Liverpool Cruise Terminal.

SCH will handle around 60 cruise ships per year calling at Liverpool Cruise Terminal following the award of the contract by Liverpool City Council, initially for two years and with an option for a further year. Sister company Cruise and Passenger Services (CPS) already provides valet car parking services for passengers joining cruise ships in Liverpool.

Angie Redhead, Liverpool Cruise and Operations Manager, said: “We were impressed by SCH’s range of capabilities and their extensive network of cruise operations spread throughout the UK. Liverpool is growing fast as a turnaround and day call cruise port and we need a reliable, efficient port handling operator. We are confident that SCH can provide us with that service based on observations in other UK ports, as well as the experience we already have working with CPS in valet car parking.”

SCH and its sister companies are recognised as the UK’s most extensive cruise ship handling specialists, with operations in Portsmouth, Oban and Southampton. The company, which has been established for 25 years, currently handles more than 200 calls a year by cruise ships at ports throughout the UK, with the emphasis on recruiting specialist labour locally through its personnel company Pathfinder Personnel.

The company plans to utilise a total of up to 50 personnel for stevedoring and valet car parking operations at Liverpool.

Director Kevin Hulme commented: “We are delighted to be awarded the contract and are committed to helping Liverpool grow as a cruise port, both for turnaround operations and as a cruise destination. We will be employing locally-based workers to supplement the workforce we already manage in Liverpool as part of our CPS business.”

SCH will provide baggage handling, stores loading and mooring services for the increasing number of cruise ships calling in Liverpool, with the contract becoming fully operational ready for the start of the 2016 season in May.

“We have a strong relationship with the major cruise lines calling in the UK who rely on CPS and its sister companies to provide passengers with a first class experience in the ports where we operate. As cruise ship handlers, we provide services for more than 300,000 passengers a year and we look forward to helping Liverpool continue to build its reputation as a leading force in the UK cruise business,” added Hulme.

Cruise Baltic Award goes to Bruce Krumrine, Holland America Group

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Written by Teijo Niemelä Teijo Niemelä

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 17 March 2016 17 March 2016

At Seatrade Cruise Global yesterday, network Cruise Baltic announced that the recipient of the ‘2016 Cruise Baltic Crown Award’ is Bruce Krumrine, Vice President of Shore Excursions and Asia Port Operations for Holland America Group.

Speaking at the annual Award Reception, in front of invited industry guests and Cruise Baltic partners, Claus Bødker, Cruise Baltic Director said: “This year we wanted to recognise Bruce in his important role for the Holland America Group, which incorporates responsibility for Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn and P&O Australia. Bruce has enjoyed a long and prestigious career in the cruise industry and has been actively involved with Cruise Baltic. Late last year Bruce proposed that we embark on an unprecedented destination partnership program with Princess Cruises. We look forward to the coming season and the launching of an innovative program of joint and ongoing initiatives that will ensure cruise passengers enjoy an enhanced guest experience in the Baltic Sea region.”

On receiving his award - presented by Claus Bødker – Bruce Krumrine commented: “I am incredibly proud to accept the distinguished Crown Award. I am also incredibly proud of the close relationship and collaboration we have enjoyed for many, many years with the Cruise Baltic team. Our pioneering Global Partners – Local Experts program, which we are now launching worldwide, began with Cruise Baltic. The very inspiration for this program was the passion, pride and expertise of the Cruise Baltic members. So I would like to share this award with my many good friends at Cruise Baltic. I thank you for inspiring us and helping us provide more authentic, meaningful, personal and exclusive experiences for our guests.”

Background: The Cruise Baltic Crown Award scheme was first launched in 2011. Each year the award is given to either an individual from the cruise industry - or an organisation – whose efforts have made a significant contribution towards making a significant difference to growing the Baltic Sea Region as a cruise destination.

The Baltic Sea Region’s considerable growth within the cruise industry can partly be contributed to the fascinating and unique history shared among the 10 countries surrounding the Baltic Sea. The word ‘crown’ illustrates strong bonds of royalty and acknowledges prestigious governing powers held, whether by Tsars and Regents, Kings and Queens, or heads of empires or states; and appropriately represents an emblem of victory, nobility, achievement and royal status.

Cruise Baltic is a network of cruise destinations in the Baltic Sea offering easy access to 10 countries on a string with an ‘ocean of adventures’. The network - founded in 2004 with 12 destinations - has now grown in 2016 to 29 destinations.

Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven invests in improving service to meet bigger volumes

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Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen

Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations

Published: 14 March 2016 14 March 2016

Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven (CCCB) prepares itself for bigger vessels by offering a range of improved services for passengers, which include work on the Terminal's internal infrastructure to make baggage reclaim faster and easier.

“The old conveyor belts have been removed, and by using new openings to the quayside it is now possible to reduce considerably the distance which has to be covered by the baggage,” the company said in a statement

In 2016, Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven (CCCB) will handle approximately 35% more passengers than in the previous year, with a further in- crease of at least 25% expected for 2017. Veit Hürdler, CCCB Managing Director, said: "With this growth in mind, we have taken a very close look at our passenger handling processes. CCCB has always placed great importance on professional service, and for many years it has been well-equipped to deal with the turnarounds of several cruise vessels at one time. And this winter we were able to implement optimisation measures for handling very large vessels.“

As part of a conveying system developed specifically by CCCB, ships' own luggage trolleys can now be transported directly to and from the Terminal in an environmentally-friendly and material-saving way. Information boards and passenger direction displays have been adapted and further simplified.

A new concept has been developed in co-operation with the local municipal bus operator, who for many years has been responsible for getting railway users to and from CCCB. In the past, passengers' luggage was also taken from the train station directly to the cabin, but by means of technical innovations, this service has now been optimised and made much more convenient for the cruise passenger.

The Columbus Cruise Café has launched a mobile catering service which benefits cruise passengers as well as bus and taxi drivers. Within the Terminal premises, CCCB now provides free WiFi. This will be particularly appreciated by ships' crew members.

A service quality certification process has been embarked upon which should be completed by June 2016. This will lead to even more improvements in quality of service and internal processes. These measures will safeguard and maintain the existing high quality standards as well as their continuous im- provement.

In conclusion, Veit Hürdler reports that, "Our next major project will focus on our parking facilities directly at CCCB. In the past, we have always been able to offer our guests in Bremerhaven sufficient parking space right in front of the Terminal - at very reasonable prices and with no advance booking necessary." To ensure that this will continue, a study will be carried out in 2016. Based on the results, the possibility of extending the parking area or building a multi- storey car park will be looked into. The valet parking service provided by third- party partners will, of course, continue.