medcruise news · hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. some 44% of medcruise ports are...

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O ver 120 port members, associates, media and members of the local cruise, tourism and city communities gathered in Castellon, Spain for the 44th MedCruise General Assembly, 21-25th May, 2014. The GA welcomed three new port members: Istanbul, Taranto and Trabzon and two new associate members, Allegra Montenegro and B&A Europe. During his opening speech, Stavros Hatzakos, MedCruise President, said that the association represents ports hosting more than 28 million cruise passenger movements annually and he emphasised that through the active participation of its members, the expanding MedCruise is gaining in strength. Praising the European Commission’s move to simplify the visa code for third-country visitors to Schengen passport-free areas, the MedCruise President emphasised that through collaboration, the cruise industry and the port industry might only benefit and expand cruise activities. MedCruise has also worked with the European Commission on the new EU Strategy for more Growth and Jobs in Coastal and Maritime Tourism. The strategy outlines a number of actions to strengthen the cruise sector’s position as a key driver of Europe’s blue economy. On the issue of collaboration with cruise lines Hatzakos noted, ‘This collaboration needs to respect the fundamentals of the market. In each sector there are always the interests of those demanding services and the interests of those supplying services. While each side advocates its interests through the respective associations, and should continue to do so, collaboration is essential. Collaboration can be better done when ports in the Med and its adjoining seas proceed in engagement collectively through MedCruise.’ The highlight of the first day was the Round Table devoted to Sustainable Cruise, with the participation of Rob Ashdown (CLIA Europe Secretary General), Elisabetta Pinna, (Costa Crociere), Manos Shinakis, (‘Sustainable Cruise’ Project), Stavros Hatzakos, Thanos Pallis (MedCruise Secretary General) and the intervention of Dimitrios Theologitis, Director for Ports and Port Policy of the European Commission. The session explored first the potential of cruise ports and cruise lines to work together at local level and create clever and innovative solutions referring to waste reception facilities and waste collection practices at sea and ashore. Discussion then moved to the ways that policies at international level might facilitate ‘Green’ cruise ports. Ashdown focused on the need for sophisticated, market driven practices and policies, rather than top-down approaches, whereas Hatzakos mentioned the importance of networking. The second day started with a Ports & Cruise Lines Session on ‘Cruising the West Med’ (see page 2). June 2014 | Issue 44 Bringing the Med together MedCruise News www.medcruise.com MedCruise 44th GA in Castellon 1-3 MedCruise at Cruise Shipping Miami 2014 4 MedCruise-CLIA Collaboration 5 Trabzon visit 5 Espo Passenger Committee 5 ecoports 5 MedCruise Diary 2014 6 MedCruise pavilion at Seatrade Med 2014 8 Itineraries / ships 7 Association News/People 1-6, 8 IN THIS ISSUE Record attendance at MedCruise 44th General Assembly, Castellon Epic year-round Med for Norwegian 7 Med will see more MSC newbuilds 7 Cunard’s wider choice of Med-fly cruises 7 New Med itineraries for Costa 7 Web: www.medcruise.com www.facebook.com/medcruise.association @MedCruisePorts

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Page 1: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

Over 120 port members, associates,media and members of the local cruise,tourism and city communities gathered

in Castellon, Spain for the 44th MedCruiseGeneral Assembly, 21-25th May, 2014.

The GA welcomed three new port members:Istanbul, Taranto and Trabzon and two newassociate members, Allegra Montenegro andB&A Europe.

During his opening speech, StavrosHatzakos, MedCruise President, said that theassociation represents ports hosting more than28 million cruise passenger movementsannually and he emphasised that through theactive participation of its members, theexpanding MedCruise is gaining in strength.

Praising the European Commission’s move tosimplify the visa code for third-country visitorsto Schengen passport-free areas, the MedCruisePresident emphasised that throughcollaboration, the cruise industry and the portindustry might only benefit and expand cruiseactivities.

MedCruise has also worked with theEuropean Commission on the new EU Strategyfor more Growth and Jobs in Coastal andMaritime Tourism. The strategy outlines anumber of actions to strengthen the cruisesector’s position as a key driver of Europe’s blueeconomy.

On the issue of collaboration with cruiselines Hatzakos noted, ‘This collaboration needsto respect the fundamentals of the market. Ineach sector there are always the interests of

those demanding services and the interests ofthose supplying services. While each sideadvocates its interests through the respectiveassociations, and should continue to do so,collaboration is essential. Collaboration can bebetter done when ports in the Med and itsadjoining seas proceed in engagementcollectively through MedCruise.’

The highlight of the first day was the RoundTable devoted to Sustainable Cruise, with theparticipation of Rob Ashdown (CLIA EuropeSecretary General), Elisabetta Pinna, (CostaCrociere), Manos Shinakis, (‘Sustainable Cruise’Project), Stavros Hatzakos, Thanos Pallis(MedCruise Secretary General) and theintervention of Dimitrios Theologitis, Directorfor Ports and Port Policy of the EuropeanCommission.

The session explored first the potential ofcruise ports and cruise lines to work together atlocal level and create clever and innovativesolutions referring to waste reception facilitiesand waste collection practices at sea andashore.

Discussion then moved to the ways thatpolicies at international level might facilitate‘Green’ cruise ports. Ashdown focused on theneed for sophisticated, market driven practicesand policies, rather than top-down approaches,whereas Hatzakos mentioned the importanceof networking.

The second day started with a Ports & CruiseLines Session on ‘Cruising the West Med’ (seepage 2).

June 2014 | Issue 44Bringing the Med together

MedCruise News

www.medcruise.com

MedCruise 44th GA in Castellon 1-3

MedCruise at Cruise Shipping Miami 2014 4

MedCruise-CLIA Collaboration 5

Trabzon visit 5

Espo Passenger Committee 5

ecoports 5

MedCruise Diary 2014 6

MedCruise pavilion at Seatrade Med 2014 8

Itineraries / ships 7

Association News/People 1-6, 8IN THIS ISSUE

Record attendance at MedCruise44th General Assembly, Castellon

Epic year-round Med for Norwegian 7

Med will see more MSC newbuilds 7

Cunard’s wider choice of Med-fly cruises 7

New Med itineraries for Costa 7

Web: www.medcruise.com

www.facebook.com/medcruise.association

@MedCruisePorts

Page 2: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

Ports from Southern Europe, gathering inCastellon for the 44th MedCruise GeneralAssembly, heard a broad range of discussions

on green ports, deployment issues and shorex revenuein the Med.

Simon Douwes, director deployment & itinerary,Holland America Line, noted the brands strongcommitment to Europe and in particular the Med.'With no ECA and many ports close together makesfor cheaper ship operations in the Med compared toother areas.' He noted operating costs in Alaska aretwice those in the Med.

On the shorex side, Peter Deer, commercialdirector, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines said tours in theMed generally generate lower revenue than those inNorthern Europe. He said the brand has beenfocussing on driving shorex revenue and referencedthe current 'Film Star and Fast Cars' cruise featuringCannes Film Festival and Monaco F1 Grand Prix.

Deer commented, 'a major number of passengers

have purchased tickets for either one or the other andin many cases both events.' Other event-relatedcruises next year feature the Funchal Flower Parade.

Presenting AIDA Cruises’ deployment strategy,Kay-Uwe Maross focused on seasonal deployment,the search for variety in countries, the significance ofslow steaming, and cost/revenue optimization.

Michael Pawlus, director strategic planning atSilversea Cruises, spoke about guests interest andsatisfaction, port and fuel costs, evening and overnightcalls, the mixture of experiences, shore excursionselections, and their marketability.

The Mediterranean is core to Costa Cruises’programs, said Susanna Illiano, port area coordinatorfor the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Red Sea and ArabGulf. She said that Costa calls at 93 ports in theMediterranean, offering interporting in 32. A keyfactor going forward was transparency of port costs,according to Illiano. She added that Costa will dorandom audits to ensure the quality of its port agents.

For the Royal Caribbean brands, a turning point inthe Med will come this fall said Adam Sharp, managerport operations Europe RCCL with the Oasis of theSeas sailing a few cruises out of Barcelona, before theAllure of the Seas sails a full summer season in 2015.With the bigger ship, however, come issues such asport and city congestion, which he said RoyalCaribbean is working on.

Cruise lines discuss green ports, deployment andshorex revenue issues

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MedCruise 44th GA

L-R: Port of Castellon’s Miguel Rojo and Roberto ArzoCubero flank Silversea’s Mike Pawlus

‘Sustainable Cruise’ Roundtable discussion, L-R: Rob Ashdown, Stavros Hatzakos, Thanos Pallis, Elisabetta Pinna andManos Shinakis

Royal Caribbean’s Adam Sharp Gala Dinner at Castellon Auditorium Hosts Port of Castellon and Stavros Hatzakos

Page 3: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

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in Castellon, SpainWhat’s cooking in Castellon?

Castellon’s fish market

HAL’s Simon Douwes with Stavros Hatzakos

Cruise Line execs cook up some Paella

Cruise line execs attending the 44th GA ofMedCruise in Castellon had a chance to viewthe city, located less than an hour's drive

north of Valencia, and its surrounds.The Port Authority of Castellon offers various

quays plus a 350mtr long cruise berth, situated around20 minutes by bus from the city centre.

Situated on Spain's Med coastline, which offers anabundance of well established cruise ports, has proveda challenge for Castellon to attract a significantnumber of calls. Fred Olsen, Crystal, Windstar andHolland America Line have all featured Castellon onWest Med itineraries in the past few years.

Later this year Windstar's Wind Spirit will be thesole cruise call in 2014 but port president, Juan JoseMonzonis and managing director, Roberto ArzoCubero are hoping that by hosting the MedCruisegathering and bringing several cruise line executivesto see the city and its surroundings first hand, mightunlock more cruise business.

Simon Douwes, director of deployment & itineraryplanning Holland America told Seatrade Insider,Prinsendam's first call in Castellon produced 'excellentfeedback from passengers'. Prinsendam will return in2015.

The appeal of Castellon is that it is not a major

tourist city so it offers a different draw to some of thelarger and more popular destinations in the vicinity.

First up a guided walking tour through the town,and an opportunity to mingle with the localcommunity going about their daily routine. Sightsincluded the Town Hall Square, Cathedral and BellTower, then onto the market selling fresh locallygrown produce and a welcome break at a street sidetapas bar.

A new tour this year and one unqiue to Castellonis a visit to the Porcelanosa factory to see themanufacturing process of ceramic tiles from the rawmaterial stage to finished product which are exportedto over 80 countries worldwide.

Finally a visit to Masia Les Casotesa, a villa in thecountryside outside the city, where owner, EmmaBordils, and chef Miguel Martí, taught the party howto prepare and cook the traditional paella dish, whichwas heartedly eaten by the cruise line executives.

On the last day delegates had a chance to gofurther afield with tours offered to Morella, themedieval town in the mountains with its centuries-old castle at over 1,000 mtr above sea level or toPeniscola, along the Med coastline and its 14thcentury castle-fortress perched on a rocky outcropand linked to the mainland by a strip of sand.

Chef Marti shows how it’s done

Costa’s Susanna Illiano outside Porcelanosa factory Peniscola visit

Castellon’s town square

Page 4: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

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MedCruise member ports counted 27mcruise passenger movements in 2013,representing a 4% rise on the previous

year and a 24% increase in the five year period(2009-2013).

The fifth edition of the MedCruise StatisticalReport, based on data from 67 MedCruise portsrepresenting over 78% of the total cruise passengermovements in the Mediterranean last year, waspresented by the association’s president StavrosHatzakos during Cruise Shipping Miami 2014.

Cruise calls in the Mediterranean and adjoining

seas reached 14,428 last year, a 4% rise compared to2012 when 13,958 calls took place.

The number of calls in 2013 was only 298 shy ofthe record number of 14,726 calls at MedCruise portsin 2011.

At the time of publication the number ofmembers of MedCruise represented about 75% ofcruise calls in the region. Following the GA inCastellon and the addition of three new members,MedCruise now accounts for 80% of cruisepassenger movements and calls taking place in theMed.

MedCruise at CSM - Statistics media briefing

MedCruise president Stavros Hatzakos joineda panel on terminal design at CruiseShipping Miami 2014, where architects of

some noted facilities and destinations stressed theimportance of a distinctive look, social responsibilityand ties to the history and culture of the place, while aground operator discussed the myriad details neededto make a terminal work well, including the humanfactor. And designing for the future and increasingly

larger ships plus funding challenges and the rightmulti-use formula came up, too.

But time and again, the theme returned tofunctionality.

'All we care about as users is function, function,function,' said John Tercek, vp commercial and newbusiness development for Royal Caribbean CruisesLtd. 'Form' is just a minor consideration.

Tercek urged planners to think far into the future

and prepare for larger ships, as Barcelona has done.The Spanish port is 'two steps ahead of us,' the RoyalCaribbean executive said. Barcelona was ready forOasis of the Seas four years ago. Terminal B is beingupgraded for 2015's full season of Allure of the Seasturnarounds at the relatively modest cost of €12m.

Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managedand of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25%are attracting more private investment, with Lisbon asthe latest example.

However, the European Union is providingeconomic stimulus funding for tourism projects,something that began in Greece. Funding is achallenge, particularly for small ports as ships getbigger, Hatzakos said.

Yet ports in the cruise business have to think big.Tercek noted the Oasis class was designed for

South Florida and in just its fourth year after launch,Oasis of the Seas will be in Europe for a short season,with Allure scheduled to operate a full season fromBarcelona in 2015.

Terminal design discussion

Carla Salvado and Mar Perez from Port of Barcelona Malta’s boothGalata Port’s (Istanbul) Orhan Gundoz and FigenAyan with Stavros Hatzakos

Perfume making at the French Riviera stand Port of Savona’s president Gian Luigi Miazza Var Provence’s ‘Pink Party’

Stavros Hatzakos presents the 5th edition of MedCruiseStatistical Report.

Page 5: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

MedCruise and the Cruise LinesInternational Association held a meetingFebruary 25th in Port of Piraeus, Greece at

which executives from both associations discussedlatest developments in the cruise sector and exploredthe prospects for collaboration to further advancethe sustainable growth of cruise activities.

CLIA was represented at the meeting by DidierScaillet, CLIA Global vp of business development,and Robert Ashdown, secretary general of CLIAEurope whilst MedCruise, was represented byStavros Hatzakos, MedCruise president, and ThanosPallis, MedCruise secretary general.

The themes of the meeting included promotionaland regulatory issues of mutual interest and bothparties agreed to hold further meetings to advancethe ground covered and build up a common

understanding between the two associations.The meeting follows the submission of a joint

statement by CLIA Europe and MedCruise last yearto the European Commission, aiming to put cruiseat the core of the European maritime growthstrategy. The EC published its new ‘Strategy formore growth and jobs in coastal and maritimetourism’ paper last Friday which both partieswelcomed.

Hatzakos added, ‘MedCruise has long advocatedthe need to join efforts in promoting the sector byresolving problems, addressing challenges, andimproving its image. The creation of a Europeanplatform bringing in the dialogue of the entire sectoris a most positive development for MedCruise andits members, and it is warmly welcomed.’

Marco Digioia, CLIA Europe’s Government AffairsDirector, said: ‘Being strongly committed tosustainability and to preserving the sea’s pristineenvironment, the cruise industry welcomes theCommission’s commitment to sustainable growthand hopes that this new strategy will help the sectorto maintain its international competiveness, whilstcontinuing to minimise its environmental footprint.’

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MedCruise participated at the meetingof the passenger committee of theEuropean Sea Ports Organisation

(ESPO), which took place in Riga, Latvia inearly May, contributing to the attempts ofEuropean ports to set initiatives increasing theawareness on the challenges of cruise ports.

MedCruise secretary general Thanos Pallis,along with BoD members Bojan Babic andCarla Salvado had the opportunity to discussways that they could best collaborate withother regional associations, like Cruise Europe,

and help their membership share experiencesand practices on applied policies and services.

During the meeting port representativesexpressed their positive reaction to theEuropean Commission’s decision to forward aproposal to revise the EU's visa code for third-country visitors to the Schengen passport-freearea. The aim of the revision is to shorten andsimplify the procedures for those wanting tocome to the EU for short stays, with theobjective of boosting economic activity and jobcreation.

ESPO Passenger Committee

MedCruise-CLIAcollaboration MedCruise membership expands in the

Black Sea with the Port of Trabzon beingthe latest port to become a member,

officially welcomed at the 44th GA in Castellon. Theport of Istanbul (Salıpazarı Liman İşletmeciliğiveYatırımları A.Ş. has also joined along with Taranto,resulting in MedCruise representing cruise portshosting more than 80% of cruise traffic in the Medand its adjoining seas.

Earlier, MedCruise President Stavros Hatzakosand Secretary General Thanos Pallis visited Trabzonand held meetings and discussed the prospects ofcruise expansion in the region with the Governor ofTrabzon Honorable A. Celil Öz, the Mayor ofTrabzon, O. Fevzi Gümrükçüoğlu, President of theTrabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry M.Suat Hacisalihoğlu and General Manager of TrabzonPort (Alport Port) Muzaffer Ermiş.

Trabzon visit

MedCruise representatives from Lisbon, French Riviera and Marseille at ESPO meeting

MedCruise actively participated at the 1stEcoPorts Workshop on Waste Receptionfacilities organised by the European Sea

Ports Organization (ESPO) in cooperation withPiraeus Port Authority, at the latter's facilities inGreece on April 25th.

The Workshop focused on policy issues related toship-generated waste management, with membersof ESPO's EcoPorts network, as well as MedCruiseAssociation and Euroshore, the association of portreception facilities in Europe and beyond, sharedtheir experiences and points of view.

MedCruise president Stavros Hatzakos presentedcurrent waste reception facilities in MedCruiseports, based on data collected by the Association forthe Sustainable Cruise project. He also highlightedthe importance of environmental management forthe port sector.

The Workshop was also attended by IsabelleRyckbost, secretary general of ESPO, as well as AnnaBodo Remijn, European Commission representativeof the General Directorate for Mobility andTransport (DG MOVE).

Talking EcoPortsL-R: CLIA’s Rob Ashdown, Stavros Hatzakos, CLIA’s Didier Scaillet and Thanos Pallis

Page 6: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

6

In response to the growing number of cruisepassengers in Europe, the increasing numberof ports involved in the cruise business and

new challenges ferry ports might be facing, theEuropean Sea Ports Organisation is developing acode of practice for both cruise and ferry ports.

In introducing the code, ESPO hopes ‘tostrengthen the voice of cruise and ferry portauthorities and clearly highlight the port’sperspective in relevant policy debates.’

The aim of the ESPO code is to bring togetherpractical experience of cruise and ferry ports inEurope and pro-actively set outrecommendations for European portsaccommodating passenger and cruise ships asregards policy applied and services available, itstated.

ESPO also believes the exercise is an activecontribution from the port sector to theEuropean Commission’s Blue Growth Initiative.

The work on the new ESPO guide forpassenger and cruise ports is being driven byESPO’s passenger committee.

This committee was set up in 2010 andgathers experts from ferry and cruise ports fromacross the European Union. The Committeeworks in close cooperation with different cruiseport organisations, including Cruise Europe,Cruise Norway and MedCruise. Collectively,these three associations represent over 250cruise ports.

ESPO says is also willing to engage in aconstructive debate with the associationsrepresenting cruise lines or other stakeholdersinvolved in the cruise or ferry sector.

Ports unite: ESPO to strengthenthe voice of cruise port authoritiesin Europe

MedCruise will beparticipating at thefollowing eventsworldwide in 2014

Seatrade Med Cruise Convention16-18 September, 2014, Barcelona

MedCruise is a sponsor of Seatrade Med, theMediterranean’s largest gathering of cruiselines, ports and destinations and cruisecommunity.

45th MedCruise General Assembly,19 September, 2014, Barcelona

MedCruise to hold their next GeneralAssembley in Barcelona during Seatrade Med.

4th International Ports andShipping Conference, 1-3 October,2014, St. Petersburg

MedCruise President Mr. Stavros Hatzakos willbe among the key note speakers of the 4thInternational Ports and Shipping Conference.

2nd GreenPort Congress 2014, 15-17 October 2014, Barcelona

In its 9th year, the GreenPort Congressprovides decision makers from the portcommunity with a meeting place to learn anddiscuss latest sustainable development andenvironmental practice.

Italian Cruise day, 24 October2014, Naples

The Italian Cruise day 2014, the annual eventof reference for the cruise industry in Italy thatis held under the auspices of MedCruise willtake place in Naples, October 24th, 2014.

MedCruise welcomes the announcementof the ESPO decision to work incollaboration with MedCruise, and

other regional cruise port organisations, in orderto increase the awareness on cruise and ferryports, and promote best practices in the sector.

It also welcomes the ESPO wish to highlightports’ perspectives in relevant European policydebates, and engage in a constructive debatewith the associations representing cruise lines orother stakeholders involved in cruise.

MedCruise works already to advance thecollaboration with cruise lines, and theassociation representing them. It will continue todo so, for the benefit of its 70 port members inthe Med and its adjoining seas.

The ESPO move adds to these efforts. By

uniting the voices of regional associations, itstrengthens the voice of cruise ports atcontinental level, while respective associationsaddress local and regional issues.

This concrete step allows policy-makers andour business partners, particularly cruise linesand their association, to identify reliable andeffective partners in discussing the prospects ofthe sector, both at continental and regionallevel.

This is a key move in the representation of theinterests of cruise ports. It will undoubtedly helpboth our European and non-European membersof MedCruise to see positive policies andemerging, and enjoy the benefits of the effectiveadvocacy of their interests through portassociations.

MedCruise welcomes ESPO move

Dubrovnik port

Page 7: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

Norwegian Epic’s 2015/16 winter programfrom its new year-round homeport ofBarcelona includes 10-day Canary Islands

and Morocco itineraries, and 10-, 11- and 12-dayWestern Mediterranean routes. The season isfrom Nov. 29, 2015, through April 7, 2016.

The Canary Islands and Morocco routesinclude Tangier; Las Palmas, Gran Canaria, andSanta Cruz de Tenerife, Tenerife; Funchal,Madeira; and Málaga.

Norwegian Epic’s 11-day itinerary visits Cagliari(Sardinia); Carthage, Tunisia; Palermo (Sicily),

Naples, Civitavecchia (Rome), Livorno (forFlorence/Pisa) and Palma (Majorca).

On Dec. 9, 2015, and April 7, 2016, NorwegianEpic will sail two 10-day Western Mediterraneanitineraries that visit Cagliari, Carthage, Palermo,Naples, Civitavecchia and Livorno.

Norwegian Epic’s final cruise of the winterseason, on March 16, 2016, will be a 12-dayWestern Mediterranean voyage to Cagliari,Carthage, Palermo, Naples, Civitavecchia,Livorno, Palma and Valencia.

MSC Cruises signed a contract withFincantieri for two 154,000gt vesselswhich are 323mtr long, 41mtr wide and

a height of 70mtr (pictured).The ships will accommodate up to 5,300

passengers each and are to be delivered inNovember 2017 and May 2018.

MSC also has a pair of 167,000gt newbuilds onorder at STX France with 4,500 lower berths each.Those are due for delivery in early 2017 and early2019.

MSC said all four ships are being built to sail to'the most sought-after warm weather destinationsin the Mediterranean, South America andCaribbean.'

Med will seemore MSCnewbuilds

In 2015, Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth andQueen Victoria will sail 197,471 nautical miles,visit 96 destinations in 35 different countries

and stay overnights including MedCruise memberports Monte Carlo, Venice, and Istanbul.

The 2015 programme is the most extensiveCunard has ever offered with longer stays in portand a wider choice of fly-cruises in the

Mediterranean including seven-, 14- and 21-nightholidays calling at 32 ports of call (up from 30 in2014). Embarkation will be from Rome, Venice andAthens plus new options of Istanbul and Trieste.

Four MedCruise ports are new destinations forCunard vessels next year: Cagliari (Sardinia), LaSpezia (Italy), Zadar (Croatia) and Horta (TheAzores).

Cunard’s wider choice of Med fly-cruises; longer stays in port

Epic year-round Med forNorwegian Cruise Line

7

New Meditineraries forCosta

Costa Cruises 2015/16 brochure featuringitineraries from November 2014 to April2016, includes new itineraries in the

Mediterranean.Iberocruceros' Grand Celebration is to join the

brand as Costa Celebration in 2015 and will operatefrom Venice starting in April.

Costa Diadema (pictured), debuting in November,will sail year-round in the Mediterranean on seven-day cruises from Savona calling every week atMarseille, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca, Naples andLa Spezia.

Costa Fascinosa and Costa Magica will offer 12-daynew cruises in the western Mediterranean with atwo-day stop in Casablanca. Starting in spring 2015,Costa Mediterranea will be deployed on seven-daycruises with an overnight stay in Trieste, visiting Split,Kotor, Kefalonia, Corfu and Dubrovnik. Costa Magicawill operate in the Canary Islands with calls atTenerife and Lanzarote.

QM2 on an earlier visit to Livorno

Page 8: MedCruise News · Hatzakos, noted a trend to port privatization. Some 44% of MedCruise ports are now privately managed and of the 56% that are are publicly controlled, 25% are attracting

MedCruise News

8

MedCruise News

The MedCruise pavilion, centre-stage at the2014 Seatrade Med Cruise Convention willbe the association’s biggest ever presence at

this biennial cruise event.More MedCruise members are increasing the size

of their stands than even before with the full list ofparticipants still to be confirmed during June.

The list of participants: Balearic Islands,Bari/Brindisi/Taranto (Apulian Ports), Cagliari,Cartagena, Civitavecchia, Corfu, Cyprus Ports,Dubrovnik (Croatian Ports), French Riviera,Gibraltar, Heraklion/Souda, Igoumenitsa, Koper, LaSpezia, Livorno, Malaga, Marseille, Mersin, Naples,Palamos, Palermo/Messina, Piraeus, Portoferraio,Azores/Lisbon/Leixoes/Portimao (PortuguesePorts), Savona, Sete, Toulon-Var Provence, Trieste,Tunisian Ports, Valletta, Venice.

Those members who are booking larger spacethis year compared to the 2012 edition held inMarseille, include La Spezia at 50sq mtr, Livorno at36sq mtr, Palamos at 32sq mtr, Var provence at 28sqmtr, Baleares at 20sq mtr.

MedCruise will also be fielding speakers for theConference running alongside the exhibition takingplace from September 16-18th at Fira de Barcelona,Gran Via Conference Centre. MedCruise PresidentStavros Hatzakos will be among the key notespeakers of the opening session of the conference,setting the shape of cruise activities in the Med.Amongst MedCruise speakers are also SecretaryGeneral Thanos Pallis, Barcelona’s Carla Salvadoand Venice Passenger Terminal’s Roberto Perrochio.MedCruise is also sponsoring notepads and pens forthe conference sessions.

June 2014 | Issue 44

www.medcruise.com

MedCruise Pavilion at SeatradeMed, the biggest yet

Bringing the Med together

The MedCruise 45th General Assembley takes place in Barcelona, Spain, 19thSeptember 2014

Don’t forget to come and visit the MedCruise Pavilion at Seatrade Med

The MedCruise pavilion at SeatradeMed in Marseille, 2012

Barcelona Opera House - Teatre Del Liceu

MedCruise10 Akti Miaouli Str. 185 38 Piraeus, GreeceTel: +30 210 40 90 675

[email protected]

Thanos Pallis, Secretary GeneralAimilia PapachristouKleopatra Arapi

AlanyaAlicanteAzoresBalearic IslandsBarcelonaBariBrindisiCagliariCartagenaCastellonCeutaCivitavecchiaConstantzaCorfuCyprus portsDubrovnik, KorculaEgyptian portsFrench Riviera portsGenoaGibraltarHeraklionHuelvaIgoumenitsaIstanbulKavalaKoperKotorKusadasi, Bodrum &AntalyaLa SpeziaLattakiaLisbonLivornoMadeira portsMalagaMarseille

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