Company to provide various services and weekly intelligence reports to passenger ship operators
By
Rebecca Gibson |
Global maritime services provider Inchcape Shipping Services is to open a new Cruise Centre of Excellence (CoCE) in Mumbai, India to deliver a range of practical services and weekly intelligence reports to passenger ship operators.
Set to open in the first quarter of 2021, the CoCE will provide services and support for itinerary management, crew logistics, risk assessment and planning, cost control, streamlining the disbursement accounting process, hull surveys and inspections, and bunkering. These services will be provided by Inchcape’s team of technical professionals.
Each week, the CoCE will also issue detailed reports on various topics, including health, security and travel warnings, as well as updates on travel, tourism, ports, marine activities, politics and more.
“With global ISO compliance, nobody else in the cruise industry has this kind of footprint,” said Grant Holmes, global sector head for the cruise industry at Inchcape. “Our intelligence and consultancy services can especially benefit more niche cruise lines that have recently downsized.”
In addition, Inchcape has developed a new Crew Lighthouse initiative to provide passenger ship operators with 24/7 logistics support for crew repatriation and transfers. The Crew Lighthouse project is targeting Ito support up to 60,000 crew transfers for passenger ships in the first year of operation.
“Covid-19 emphasised the need for immediate crew repatriation, which can be complex and involve multiple agents,” said Holmes. “Cruise lines with fewer people in the office may no longer have the resources to handle this. If it happens again, Inchcape can provide everything they need at global scale.
“Recovery is just a question of timing and I am optimistic for the future, especially for 2022 when we are likely to see a full recovery. There are plenty cruise fans out there who can’t wait to get back on a ship. The key thing for our industry is to come back and get things right from the outset in regards to health management, operational efficiency and sustainability. Inchcape will be there all the way.”