Ports & destinations

New Brunswick government to study developing St John turnaround port

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 24 October 2012 24 October 2012

The provincial government of New Brunswick in Canada has decided to invest in a feasibility study to determine if the Port of Saint John could become a home port for cruise ships in the future.

Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Trevor Holder announced the investment. " While it is wonderful to have ships visit the Port of Saint John, if it was to become a home port we would be taking this industry to the next level,” said Holder. “The provincial government is committing $50,000 in 2013 for a feasibility study to see if this next step in cruise development can be taken. I am eager to see whether it is possible to capture an even greater share of this business in the years to come.”

By the end of the 2012 season, a total of 74 ships will have docked in Saint John, bringing almost 190,000 visitors. Each passenger spends on average CAD80 per visit, resulting in an estimated CAD15 million in revenue for the greater Saint John and Fundy region each year.

“Cruise tourism business is extremely important to New Brunswick and we are pleased today to learn that the Province of New Brunswick is investing in a study to examine the future opportunities for expanding the cruise industry as a contributor to tourism in the Bay of Fundy region,” said Stephen Campbell, chair of the Saint John Port Authority. “I am pleased that Minister Holder and the provincial government have requested the Port of Saint John play a major role in undertaking this study.”

“I am excited about the growth potential for our provincial cruise industry, the profile it brings both Saint John and the Fundy region as well as our province as a whole,” said Holder. “We need to capitalize on every possibility to grow industries as together we rebuild New Brunswick's economy.”

Marina Bay Cruise Centre opens in Singapore

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 23 October 2012 23 October 2012

Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) at Marina South officially opened today in a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Mr Teo Chee Hean. The purpose-built 28,000-square-metre terminal, which is operated by SATS-Creuers Cruise Services (SCCS), saw its first ship dock on 26 May this year and is set to welcome more vessels as Singapore cements its status as a regional cruise hub.

The celebrations commenced with speeches by Mr Edmund Cheng, Chairman of SATS, and DPM Teo Chee Hean, who was the Guest of Honour for the event. In his speech, Mr Edmund Cheng highlighted that “MBCCS is expecting over 70 ship calls by cruise liners including the Azamara Club Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Costa Cruises, Cunard Line, Princess, Royal Caribbean International and Silversea. This will translate into a passenger traffic of more than 200,000 from now till March 2013. With intra-Asian travel increasing and the cruise industry being one of the fastest growing segments of the travel and leisure sector, more ships are expected to call at the terminal going forward.

Meanwhile, in his speech, Mr Teo stated that “the global cruise industry is projected to grow at an annual compounded rate of 7.4 per cent, to reach 22.4 million cruise passengers by 2015. As Asia grows in affluence, there is great potential for growth in the Asian cruise industry… the Singapore Tourism Board recently conducted a survey of potential cruise travellers in eight Asia-Pacific countries. Over eight in 10 of the respondents who had not previously experienced cruise travel indicated that they plan to do so.”

The opening of the terminal was signified by DPM Teo activating a “throttle” which launched an elaborate projection mapping display that brought guests through an enthralling visual journey on how MBCCS will propel Singapore to become a gateway for the cruise industry.

Holland America Line boosts its presence on the St. Lawrence

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 11 October 2012 11 October 2012

Holland America Line, which is part of Carnival Corp & plc group, has signed an agreement with officials in Quebec, to increase its presence in the St Lawrence river region.

The agreement will serve to significantly increase summer cruise ship traffic on the St. Lawrence River. Using the Veendam, the company plans to add at least eight turnaround operations in Quebec City during the summer over a three-year period beginning in 2013.

The Veendam’s arrival will be highly strategic in terms of developing Quebec City’s cruise ship sector. The potential increase in passenger traffic (more than 20,000 extra visitors per year) is sure to have a major impact. In this regard, the agreement confirms that Holland America’s entire fleet will be redeployed on the St. Lawrence in 2013. A large-scale promotional campaign will also be undertaken with a view to positioning Quebec City and eight other St. Lawrence ports within the international cruise ship circuit.

Under the agreement, additional turnaround operations are also planned for the Port of Montreal, which will be welcoming the Maasdam in the months of July and August. In addition, the Seabourn Sojourn, operated by the Seabourn cruise line (a Holland America affiliate), will be operating three St. Lawrence turnaround cruises from Montreal. The Seabourn Sojourn will visit a total of seven ports in Quebec (Montreal, Quebec City, Trois Rivières, Saguenay, Baie Comeau, Gaspé and the Magdalen Islands).

Norway cruise calls rise 23% as business becomes year round

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 12 October 2012 12 October 2012

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Cruise Norway – the Norwegian marketing company, which markets Norway as a cruise destination. “This year there have been 2066 cruise calls at Cruise Norway’s 41 cruise destinations, with 2 573 335 visiting cruise guests, corresponding to a 23% increase in the number of calls and 26% more visitors, compared with 2011,” the company said in a statement.

“Cruise tourism is becoming a year-round activity in Norway. This year there have only been two months with no cruise calls. This year’s season started in February with several winter cruises, the last call of the summer season took place in mid-October, and the year will be rounded off with a Christmas cruise to the capital, Oslo. Moreover, for the first time, a German line is arranging a Christmas cruise to the West and North of Norway.”

“The company’s vision is to contribute to the perception of Norway as the world’s best nature-based cruise destination. Our new logo seeks to evoke associations with cruise vacations – the sea – nature – mountains – fjords and the Northern Lights," Cruise Norway said.

Seattle cruise season ends with record 933,900 passengers

Details: Written by Kari Reinikainen Kari Reinikainen; Category: Ports & Destinations Ports & Destinations; Published: 09 October 2012 09 October 2012

The Port of Seattle has announced that a record 933,900 revenue passengers moved through the port’s two cruise terminals during the 2012 cruise season, further solidifying Seattle as a port of origin for Alaska-bound cruises, the port said in a statement.

The port estimates that the record passenger number generated more than $416 million in annual business revenue, $18 million in state and local taxes while creating 4,319 jobs. Each time a homeport ship docks in Seattle, it contributes $2.1 million to the local economy.

“The cruise business is good not only for King County, but for the entire state,” said Gael Tarleton, Port of Seattle Commission president. “Our goal is to have cruise passengers extend their stay a few more days to discover what else Washington has to offer and to increase tourism spending statewide. The exciting addition of the Celebrity Solstice and Oceania Regatta to our 2013 vessel schedule and our decision to continue our partnership with Cruise Terminals of America as our terminal operator continues our momentum toward that goal.”

CTA operates the cruise facilities at Piers 66 and 91. With the port’s continued investment in facilities that work, and CTA’s efficient handling of operations, vessel schedules are maintained and passenger processing is smooth and efficient. The port, CTA and the cruise lines have worked together to build successful partnerships with the community and regulatory agencies and those partnerships are vital to the continued success of the industry in Seattle.

The Celebrity Solstice, one of Celebrity’s newest ships, will offer 7-day Alaska cruises in 2013 and the Oceania Regatta will offer a variety of itineraries to Alaska including 7-days and 10-day round trip to Seattle. These new ships join the impressive list of Cruising options sailing from Seattle next year offered by Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line.

During 2012, cruises to southeast Alaska operated at 109.95 percent of passenger capacity, the result of having multiple guests – usually families – sharing a cabin.

Seattle ranks 7th in the nation for ports for passengers while Washington ranks 6^th in the nation for cruise industry expenditures according to newly released 2011 data compiled by Cruise Lines International Association, the world´s largest cruise association.