US Homeland Security Allocates Funds For
Port Security To 36 Ports
This month, the US Department of Homeland
Security announced $141,969,967.61 in the fifth round of awards
under the Port Security Grant Program (PSGP). The FY 2005 PSGP
fortifies security at our nation’s critical ports and maritime
facilities. PSGP funds address key national priorities by helping
to protect ports against small craft and underwater attacks
and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices. The program
also funds measures to enhance explosive detection capabilities
aboard passenger vessels and associated facilities. “These grants
provide another layer of security to help protect ports from
terrorism, safeguard nearby communities and ensure the uninterrupted
flow of global commerce,” said Homeland Security Secretary Michael
Chertoff.
Recipients were selected through a competitive
peer review process using a new risk-based formula weighing
threat, vulnerability and consequence. Topping the list in the
amount of funds allocated was Houston, Texas which got $35,325,116
million followed by Long Beach and Los Angeles, California.
New York was allocated only $6.6 million.
For the list of other allocations, visit
http://www.dhs.gov/interweb/assetlibrary/Press_PortSecurityGrants_FY05.pdf
.
In order to receive funding, eligible port
terminals must have submitted an application that met grant
guidelines, and requested funding for eligible projects – especially
projects addressing our national port security priorities. All
applications were reviewed by the local United States Coast
Guard (USCG) port captains and scored on uniform rating criteria.
In deference to the experience of port captains who best understand
their port vulnerabilities, the PSGP relied heavily upon the
recommendation and application scoring of the USCG port captains.
For ports impacted by Hurricane Katrina,
funds will be held in reserve until proposed security projects
are ready to be implemented.
To maximize security benefits with limited
resources, the Department encouraged private companies to apply
for grants with the requirement of a 50 percent match. Of the
$141.9 million in awards announced today, the private sector
matched roughly $33 million in grants. Through this public-private
partnership, port communities will receive more than $175 million
in security enhancements.
In addition to the awards announced,
over the past five years, the PSGP has provided $489 million
to enhance dockside and perimeter security in our nation’s seaports.
Port of London Taking Bookings For Cruise-Ship
Calls For 2012 Olympics
Bookings for cruise ship calls into central
London and Port of Tilbury are already being taken for the 2012
Olympics Games. The Port of London normally offers a total of
four main cruise moorings at Tilbury and at the London Central
Cruise Moorings, adjacent to Tower Bridge, and also at Greenwich.
This month cruise ships such as Silver Cloud, Seabourn Pride,
the Vistamar and the Bremen were docked in London.
Reportedly, the Port of London Authority
(PLA) is investigating other locations along the River Thames
where additional cruise ships could be accommodated during the
Summer Games.
London’s cruising capability was boosted
during 2004 with the launch of a truly unique new facility –
the world’s first floating cruise terminal. The terminal, aptly
named “Welcome,” was designed and purpose-built at a cost of
£700,000 by the Port of London Authority (PLA). The PLA has
worked with a number of parties for several years to provide
a new permanent landside central cruise terminal for the city.
This is still being pursued – but meanwhile, the ‘Welcome’ is
a key step in attracting more international cruise ships to
visit London.
Measuring 50 meters by 14 meters with full
facilities for turnaround and transit calls, the floating terminal
is used by passengers beginning and ending their cruises in
central London. Modeled on an airport layout, it includes the
very latest security screening, segregating passengers and their
luggage, and meets all the requirements of the International
Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.
The
floating terminal can be used at Tower Bridge Lower, 200 meters
downstream from Tower Bridge, for vessels up to 180 meters in
length and six meters draught. Alternatively, it can provide
a turnaround facility at Greenwich Ship Tier, for other cruise
ships as well.
The London Central Cruise Moorings handled
20 calls in 2004, 14 of which were
turnarounds. In 2005, the figure is expected
to be as high as 30 calls.
Expansion Brings 3 Norwegian Cruise Line
Ships into Port Canaveral
Beginning next year, Norwegian Cruise Line’s
Norwegian Spirit will join Norwegian Dawn in weekly
stops at Port Canaveral. In addition, the Norwegian Majesty
will make a call in Port Canaveral next year, bringing the total
number of port calls for Norwegian Cruise Line to 45 in the
next two years. “Port Canaveral offers a wide variety of options
to our guests. The shore excursion program we’ve introduced
with Norwegian Dawn has been very successful and we’re looking
forward to offering those options and more to our passengers
onboard Norwegian Spirit and Norwegian Majesty next year,” says
Andy Stuart, Executive Vice President of Marketing, Sales and
Passenger Services for Norwegian Cruise Line.
Both Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Spirit
are homeported in New York and feature Canaveral as a weekly
stop on their Florida and Bahamas itineraries. Norwegian Dawn
stops at Port Canaveral every Tuesday from May to August. Norwegian
Spirit is scheduled to call in Canaveral every Tuesday from
February through May then every other Tuesday May through October.
Norwegian Majesty will reposition from Boston, calling at Canaveral
on Oct. 20, 2006. “With our area’s beaches, the Kennedy Space
Center, and the Orlando attractions, we hope our port-of-call
visitors will want to return again and again,” says Ray Sharkey,
Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of the Canaveral Port
Authority.
Port Everglades To Host 41 Ships During
Coming Year
Port Everglades will host 41 cruise ships
offering more than 2,500 departures during the coming year.
The lineup includes the new Carnival Liberty and Costa
Magica, both sailing in for the 2005/2006 winter Caribbean
season.
The recently introduced 110,000gt Carnival
Liberty, now operating in the Mediterranean, will sail its first
revenue cruise from Port Everglades on November 12. Another
Carnival ship, the Legend also operates from the port.
The 105,000gt Costa Magica arrives from Europe
to start its Caribbean program on December 15. Costa Mediterranea
also sails from Port Everglades.
Italy’s Port of La Spezia To Build New
Cruise Terminal
The port of La Spezia in Italy’s Ligurian
province is set to step into the cruise market with a renewed
effort as La Spezia Cruise Facilities (LSCF) has obtained the
concession to operate a cruise terminal at the port for the
next five years. Until now, La Spezia has had limited cruise
calls but with more than 25,000 passengers arriving in 2004,
and an increase about 40 percent expected in 2005, the situation
calls for better facilities for visiting cruise passengers.
“As a cruise port, La Spezia is in an excellent position,” said
LSFC chairman Giorgio Bucchioni, who is the former chairman
of the port authority. “It’s only 140 km away from Florence,
50 km from Pisa and Lucca, 20 km from the Cinque Terre area,
some 70 km from Portofino and 90 km from Genoa.”
For now, ships calling at La Spezia moor
in an area between 500 and 800 meters from shore that is reachable
either with the visiting ship’s own tenders or with a shuttle
service provided by Battellieri del Golfo. LSCF is set to build
a special pontoon similar to that used in Villefranche on the
French Riviera. –Seatrade
Insider
Turkey’s second largest cruise port, the
celebrated resort town of Kusadasi on the Aegean coast, is now
welcoming passengers with a sleek new terminal building, part
of a multi-million dollar improvement and enlargement of Kusadasi
Port’s facilities to enhance the experience of the more than
300,000 cruise ship and ferry passengers who disembark there
annually. Opened on April 1, the graceful modern glass and sandstone
structure is distinguished by soaring interior spaces and an
extensive selection of duty-free shopping opportunities. It
will soon be complemented by two more structures, which will
house a retail and entertainment complex for passengers and
land-bound tourists alike.
In addition, Ege Ports which has operated
the port since its privatization, has enlarged the parking area
to accommodate more than 50 excursion buses. The company also
plans to lengthen the two piers, install upgraded fendering
systems and make other improvements designed to better accommodate
the trend toward super-sized cruise ships.
Kusadasi is the cruise gateway to the classical
city of Ephesus, one of the world’s most important archeological
sites in the world just 15 minutes away. It is also within
close proximity to the Holy Shrine of the Blessed Virgin Mary,
who, according to legend, lived out her last days there in the
care of St. John the Apostle. Consequently, since it opened
in 1968, the Port of Kusadasi has been an important stop on
eastern Mediterranean cruise itineraries. As such, it has the
capacity to serve nine cruise ships simultaneously.
The new terminal of Kusadasi Port is one
of several important additions to Turkey’s tourism infrastructure
opening this year, including the spectacular new Kempinski Barbaros
Bay Resort & Spa Bodrum on the Aegean coast and Marmara
Antalya overlooking the Mediterranean. All reflect the mounting
strength of Turkey’s tourist industry which saw a 33.7 percent
increase in arrivals for 2004 over 2003 and projections for
2005 indicate a 40 percent growth.
For information about travel to Turkey, call
1-877-FOR-TURKEY or contact the Turkish Culture and Tourism
Offices in New York at 212-687-2194 or in Washington D.C. at
202-612-6800 or in Los Angeles at 323-937-8066 and visit www.tourismturkey.org
or www.kulturturizm.gov.tr .
The city of Ancona became a cruise capital
in late May when Costa became the first cruise line to introduce
Ancona as a regular port of call. To mark the occasion, a new
terminal that was built on Quay 15 by the Port Authority, the
Provincial Administration, the Municipality of Ancona and the
Marches Regional Administration officially opened.
Now through October 2005 the Costa Classica
will be stopping in Ancona every Monday, from 8 am to 6 pm for
a total of 22 calls that will bring an estimated total of 40,000
passengers to the Adriatic seaport. Costa Classica’s seven-day
cruise visits Athens (Greece), Crete (Greece), Corfu (Greece),
Dubrovnik (Croatia) and Venice.
As well as being a port of embarkation and
disembarkation for Central Italy, Ancona constitutes an attractive
stopover for all the guests, Italians and foreigners alike,
who will arrive on board the Costa Classica from Venice. They
will have some seven Costa Crociere excursions to choose from
including the appealing hilltop town of Urbino with its treasures,
the Republic of San Marino at the foot of Monte Titano, Ascoli
Piceno with its verdant hills, the Frasassi caves, a daytrip
visiting Ancona with its churches, monuments and old town, the
Muses and the Mole Vanvitelliana
Website: http://www.autoritaportuale.ancona.it
/
This month marked the start of the 2005 cruise
season at the Massachusetts Port Authority’s (Massport) Black
Falcon Cruise Terminal in South Boston. 100 vessels including
old favorites and new additions will carry more than 225,000
passengers through Boston this year. In 2004, a total of 95
cruise ships and nearly 200,000 passengers called on the Black
Falcon Cruise Terminal.
This year, the cruise season extends from
May through November and features some first-time itineraries
and attractions. Fifteen cruise lines will serve the Black Falcon
Cruise Terminal, providing a mix of New England/Canada cruises,
Bermuda cruises and Caribbean cruises. “Whether embarking from
Boston or visiting for the day, cruising to and from Boston
continues to be a main attraction for travelers,” said Craig
Coy, CEO Massport. “The Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is not
only convenient, but it is also an important gateway to our
great city and plays a vital role in our local economy.”
From premium class vessels to luxurious ocean
liners to contemporary cruise ships, Cruiseport Boston has something
to offer everyone. Norwegian Cruise Line, a Boston favorite
will, for the 12th consecutive year, offer popular weekly Bermuda
sailings aboard the Norwegian Majesty. The Norwegian
Majesty will make weekly trips from Boston to Bermuda throughout
the 26-week season.
An exciting port visit will take place in
June, when Norwegian Cruise Line’s new Pride of America
visits Boston on a select-port inaugural tour. The Pride of
America will make her historical debut as the first U.S. flagged
cruise vessel to be commissioned in nearly 50 years. The Pride
of America will sail into Boston Harbor on Sunday, June 19.
The Port of Boston is the oldest working seaport in the United
States.
This season, Royal Caribbean is expanding
its service from Boston by offering turnaround cruises to the
Caribbean on one of its newest ships, the Jewel of the Seas.
Jewel of the Seas is scheduled to embark on six 10-day Caribbean/Bermuda
cruises from Boston, earning the historic distinction of being
the first vessel to offer regular sailings to the Caribbean
from Boston.
Royal Caribbean and Holland America Line
will offer summer and fall cruising along the North Atlantic
coastline, stopping in New England and Canadian ports. Royal
Caribbean’s newly stretched Enchantment of the Seas,
featuring 200 new cabins and loads of amenities will make eight
Boston calls, while Holland America’s grand Maasdam will
make 13 Boston calls.
Holland America, a luxury cruise line known
for its comfortable amenities, made Boston a homeport last year
when it doubled its service at Cruiseport Boston. This year,
Holland America offers a 35-day, round-trip transatlantic cruise
from Boston to Rotterdam with stops along the scenic Arctic
Circle including ports in Newfoundland, Greenland, Iceland,
Norway and the North Sea before returning to Boston.
Several cruise lines are scheduled to make
port visits this season including Cunard Line’s regal sisters,
the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Mary 2. These
elegant vessels will sail into Boston for a day’s visit on September
12 October 6 respectively.
This season will feature port of calls from
Radisson Seven Seas Cruises, Princess Cruises, Silversea, Saga
Holidays, Carnival, Crystal Cruises, celebrity Cruises, P&O
Cruises, Seabourn, Holiday Kreuzfahrten and Residensea .
Massport’s Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is
located in South Boston’s lively seaport district and only minutes
away from downtown Boston’s world famous historic sites, shops
and restaurants. The Black Falcon Cruise Terminal is a ten-minute
cab ride from Logan International Airport, making the airport/seaport
connection in Boston unrivaled on the East Coast. The terminal’s
website — http://www.massport.com —gives information
on getting to the terminal plus lots of other helpful information
on the city and cultural events throughout the state of Massachusetts
For those planning to embark on one of the
cruises scheduled, the Greater Boston Visitors and Convention
Bureau offer a wealth of information to make your stay in the
city a historic and happy one. For more information on where
to stay, what to see and do, and where to dine or spend an overnight
hotel stay, visit the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau website at http://www.bostonusa.com.
The Board of Directors of the Ports of Stockholm
has announced a plan to create a dedicated cruise terminal with
the goal of attracting home-ported cruise ships and to better
accommodate large vessels and their passengers. The plan centers
on conversion of an existing 3,000-square-meter (9,800 square
feet) cargo warehouse located at Frihamnen into a cruise terminal.
The adjacent pier also will be extended by 130 meters (426 feet),
which will enable the facility eventually to accommodate three
Panamax cruise vessels simultaneously. The terminal is expected
to be completed by the 2006 cruise season. “This is the first
step toward our Vision 2015 program and will set the stage for
Ports of Stockholm to become the number-one passenger port in
the Baltic," said Christel Wiman, chief executive officer,
Ports of Stockholm. "We believe the new facility will enable
Stockholm to attract home-ported cruise ships and strengthen
its role as a major cruise destination in the Baltic."
According to the Stockholm Cruising Capital
Network, the number of cruise liners calling at Stockholm has
been rising at an average rate of 10 percent per year since
1996. Cruise ship passenger traffic increased by 55 percent
in 2004 to 210,000 passengers. For the coming 2005 season Ports
of Stockholm expects an all-time high with 263 international
cruise calls to Stockholm and Nynäshamn. The Ports of Stockholm
Group is composed of the ports in Stockholm, Kapellskär and
Nynäshamn. (Ports of Stockholm, www.stockholmshamn.se)
Over the next five months Quebec ports will
welcome 112 cruise ship calls. Montreal and Quebec will welcome
two new callers this year, Holiday Kreuzfahrten’s Mona Lisa
and Saga’s Saga Ruby. The World of Residensea will also
be paying a call at Montreal and Quebec City after a two-year
absence.
The 2004 cruise season was a record breaking
year for ports in the province of Quebec with 71,280 passengers
and 102 cruise calls at Quebec City, 36,409 passengers and 37
calls at Montreal and 666 passengers and 2 cruise calls visiting
Saguenay, Quebec’s newest cruise port.
The Columbus Cruise Terminal in Bremerhaven expects a positive
year in 2005. .
To date, a total of 78 vessels have booked at the Columbus Quay
Cruise Terminal, and of these, 70 will begin and end their cruise,
while the other eight vessels will be dropping in on Bremerhaven
as a port of call.
The Columbus Cruise Center looks forward
to welcoming the following vessels in Bremerhaven in 2005: MS
Delphin Renaissance, MS Athena, MS Astor, MS Astoria, MS Europa,
TS Albatros, TS Maxim Gorki, MS Paloma, MS Delphin, MS Van Gogh,
MS Athena, MS Black Prince, MS Ocean Monarch, MS Silver Cloud,
MS Alexander von Humboldt. Of these, MS Athena, MS Alexander
von Humboldt, MS Black Prince and MS Silver Cloud will be calling
on Bremerhaven for the first time.
In 2004, the Columbus Cruise center saw a total of 67 cruise
vessels with about 70,000 passengers beginning or ending their
voyage in Bremerhaven, roughly a 10 percent increase in vessels
and passengers over 2003.
A rail shuttle is being planned for change-over
departures from Hanover, which would also stop in Bremen and
arrive directly at the Cruise Terminal in time for departure.
This shuttle service would be linked to railway connections
from all over Germany. In combination with the home-ship-home
luggage service, it would allow cruise passengers to travel
in the comfort they deserve from start to finish. This shuttle
service is now available to the shipping lines.
Last June, the terminal was certified by the Bremen "Designated
Authority" (DA) in compliance with the new ISPS Codes which
became effective on July 2001. In adherence with these codes
for international shipping and port security, all access to
the terminal, the quay and all facilities is monitored by trained
security staff. All luggage is scanned and all passengers, visitors
and crew members have to pass through the kind of metal detectors
we are familiar with from airports. CCCB now satisfies international
security requirements.
By the beginning of the 2005 season, CCTV
cameras will also be installed in consultation with the Bremen
Data Protection Authority. An extension of the walkway will
make the northernmost berth also directly accessible from the
terminal building, which will mean that three vessels can be
reached simultaneously via the covered walkways.
Besides the cruise business, the new terminal facilities with
their modern atmosphere and generous view of the River Weser
behind a glass facade are becoming more and more attractive
as a venue for big and small events. In 2004 CCCB was used for
fairs, lectures, corporate events and congresses. They all benefited
from the custom-catering provided and the flexible use of the
existing facilities. Website: http://www.columbus-cruise-center.de/page_1024x768/index.php
The Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA) is preparing for
its biggest cruise season ever this year. With more ships choosing
to call at ports outside Florida and passengers choosing to
embark earlier than later for the Caribbean at this former Navy
yard, this South Philadelphia port says it’s riding the crest
of the wave of home-porting.
According to the DRPA, cruising from Philadelphia
presents an affordable and convenient option for those driving
to their cruise destination. One of Philadelphia’s selling points:
it is within a five and half hour-drive of 25 percent of the
US population and proximity to the I-95, I-76 and Philadelphia
National Airport. In 2003, the average cruise party (2.4 people)
spent $187 on travel expenses such as gas, tolls, train to Philadelphia.
Once there, parking at the cruise terminal is relatively inexpensive
at $10 per day, according to the DRPA with facility between
Baltimore Port and New York City.
Ships docking in Philadelphia with more
sailings, special pre- and post-cruise packages kicked off the
cruise season lasting from April 24 through late October at
the Port of Philadelphia and Camden. Three lines—Norwegian Cruise
Lines, Celebrity Cruises, and Royal Caribbean Cruise Line (RCCL)—will
offer 32 sailings from the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier
1. Several port calls from lines such as Seabourn and Silversea
will follow. Over 92,450 passengers are expected at the terminal
with 10 more sailings added to the 2004 figures, reporting 65,000
passengers. In 2003, this port had 16 sailing and 50,000 passengers;
in 2002, only one sailing. “As ships can be home-ported in Philadelphia,
people can just drive here. They do not have to fly allowing
them to start their vacation straight away. After 9/11, this
has been a major benefit to us with cruise lines basing their
ships closer to population centers,” says DRPA’s My Linh Nguyen.
For influx never seen before such as this,
improved facility and enlarged capacity remain crucial. Thus
far, since opening the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier
1 in 1998, the DRPA has invested $15 million in improvements
to the facility. As it is ‘filling-up’ fast, the port has found
ways to make parking, traffic control and luggage handling more
efficient. The first ship out for the season April 24 faced
no congestion or bottlenecks at Pier 1. According to Nguyen,
it was during the off-season that the port was able to work
out the traffic patterns and systems logistics. “The remote
parking and the trolley have eased flow in front of the terminal,”
she added. Website:
http://cruisephilly.org/pages/visitors/destinations.html.
New taxi stands have been established at
the NY Passenger Ship Terminal (NYPST), the facility that services
cruise ships that stop in New York City, which will be in service
on weekends from 8 am to 1 pm during the cruise season. In order
to reduce the number of vehicles traveling into the terminal,
medallion taxicab drivers are encouraged to use these stands
to drop off and pick up passengers traveling to and from the
NYPST. Please note that taxicabs will still be permitted within
the facility, should customers request to be dropped off inside
the facility. The taxi stands will be located in the drop-off/pick-up
lanes along the easternmost curbs alongside the northbound West
Side Highway (Twelfth Avenue), across from the NYPST.
The three stands in operation are specifically
located at:
Twelfth Avenue NB between West 47th and West
48th Streets
Twelfth Avenue NB between West 49th and West
50th Streets
Twelfth Avenue NB between West 51st and West
52nd Streets
Attendants will be stationed at the stands,
assisted by the New York City Police Department, to ensure that
only licensed medallion taxicabs can use these designated stands
during 8 AM to 1 PM on weekends. Signs indicating the schedules
and the locations of these areas have been installed. In addition,
at the north end of these stands, passengers will have a crosswalk
and walk signal to enter the NYPST on foot.
Seattle’s cruise season looks as if it will
be a winner. Fourteen vessels will make a total of 169 calls
and two-way passenger count will reach 685,000. Both numbers
are new records. New cruises include three-, four- and five-day
roundtrip Pacific Northwest voyages by Celebrity Cruises to
Prince Rupert, Nanaimo, Victoria and Vancouver in British Columbia
and Astoria, Oregon; and ten- and 11-day Alaska cruises by Norwegian
Cruise Line.
Week-long cruises to Alaska are scheduled
by Celebrity, Holland America Line, NCL and Princess Cruises
departing weekends from Pier 66 and Terminal 30 from May to
mid-October.
The terminal offers this year a new auto
rental service by Hertz as well as offering facilities to provide
luggage storage. Concierge services for hotel reservations and
taxi/limousine arrangements are also available.
