By
Michele Witthaus |
The twenty-second Cruise Europe conference took place in Le Havre, France on 24 April as the organisation’s member ports gathered for their annual general meetings. Plans for the new sulphur emissions regulations due to come into force in 2015 were among the issues discussed at the event.
Captain Michael McCarthy, chair of Cruise Europe and commercial manager at the Port of Cork addressed the potential for fuel shortages when emission control areas (ECAs) come into force in 2015. Citing likely competition between marine and land-based users, he said: “There is a huge shortfall in oil refining in Europe. The European Union may have no choice but to offer derogation by 2015.”
McCarthy also addressed the changes brought about by the globalisation of the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), commenting: “Cruise Europe is happy to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with CLIA Europe to continue to promote consistency of product quality in Europe.”
Increasing attention by cruise lines to the cost of itineraries and to safety issues was evident in presentations by representatives of Carnival UK, Holland America Line (HAL), Celebrity Cruises, AIDA Cruises and MSC Cruises. Simon Douwes, director of deployment and itinerary planning at HAL, said: “We are now doing an extensive risk assessment of all our itineraries with a major emphasis on safety and sustainability.” He noted that with the cruise industry expected to maintain steady growth at 2.2 per cent in 2013, HAL was likely to commit another ship to Europe after delivery of its next newbuild in 2016. He added that the introduction of the ECAs would not result in fewer calls by the line at affected ports.
Brian Powell, director of market planning and consumer insights for Celebrity Cruises, said ports could benefit from the line’s new shore excursions and social networking capabilities for guests looking for ‘authentic’ modern cruise experiences.
Robert Ashdown of CLIA UK and Ireland encouraged cruise lines to participate in telling their brand stories on the new CLIA website.
Steven Young, head of port operations and services, Carnival UK said cost remained a crucial factor in determining the attractiveness of ports for the company. “In some cases we would rather go to a transit port that has no terminal because there is no head tax and so there is a lower cost base. Even when passengers have already booked their cruises, we may switch ports to mitigate rising costs.”
The Cruise Europe conference also showcased a new initiative by the Port of Amsterdam to explore the potential of alternative shore power (cold ironing) in the port as a joint initiative with interested parties with potential European Commission funding. The project will take place in the coming months.
The venue for next year's Cruise Europe event was announced as Riga, Latvia, which will be the Cultural Capital of Europe 2014.