Clia Europe News

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) said that its Cruise Lines have invested more than $22 billion in ships with new, energy-efficient technologies and cleaner fuels and achieved substantial progress.“While cruise ships comprise far less than 1% of the global maritime community, cruise lines are at the forefront in developing responsible tourism practices and innovative technologies. Our industry leads in environmental stewardship,” said Michael Thamm, Chairman of CLIA Europe and Group CEO of Costa Group and Carnival Asia.“The entire shipping industry benefits from early adoption of innovative technologies by cruise lines—many of which did not exist five to 10 years ago such as exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS)…

The shipping industry and the European Independent fuel suppliers welcome the European Parliament’s support to incentivize the uptake of low-carbon and carbon-free alternative fuels and to remove disparities in energy taxation.On 25 October the European Parliament adopted its report on The deployment of infrastructure for alternative fuels in the EU which pointed out that taxation has a major impact on the price competitiveness of alternative fuels and underlined that a technology neutral approach should be adopted to create a level playing field.A press release from European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) noted that disparities in energy taxation for shore-side supply for ships and energy used to generate alternative fuels should be addressed.

At gmec, the global maritime environmental congress (gmec) during SMM in Hamburg, high-profile business and science experts discussed how the global shipping industry can achieve the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) environmental goals while continuing to provide its services at competitive prices.“We are at the beginning of a new chapter in the history of shipping,” said Tian-Bing Huang, Deputy Director - Marine Environment Division at the IMO, in his opening keynote.There is no question that the shipping sector is facing huge challenges…

Anthony Luzzatto Gardner, former US Ambassador to the European Union and Visiting Fellow at the College of Europe, will be the guest speaker at the European Shipping Week Gala Dinner, to be held on Wednesday 1st March 2017 at the Steigenberger Wiltcher Hotel in Brussels. Ambassador Gardner, who has dedicated more than 20 years of his career to US-European affairs, will speak on the important subject of ‘US-EU Relations: Looking Back, Looking Forward’. Welcoming the news, Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) and Chairman of the European Shipping Week Steering Group, said his speech would be very insightful considering the political developments which have taken place in Europe and the US over recent months.

The Cruise Lines International Association Europe (CLIA Europe) and the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA) welcome the revision of the European directive on port reception facilities for ship-generated waste and cargo residues. Whereas the directive has produced positive effects since its entry into force, there are however a number of shortcomings that need to be addressed. The evaluation of the Port Reception Facilities Directive is therefore essential. In the recently concluded public consultation launched by the European Commission, ECSA and CLIA raised a number of issues in their joint statement. “A timely review…

While the term ‘pioneer’ is oftentimes loosely bandied about, there is no more accurate term to describe Jochen Deerberg, an environmental pioneer of the maritime industry, founder of Oldenburg, Germany-based Deerberg-Systems, who was recently feted by cruise industry luminaries at his farewell dinner late last year. “To start in 1979 one could see that environmental-waste management problems on shore and especially in the maritime industry would be of great importance in the future,” said Deerberg. “Of course, I was 10 years too early with my idea.

After an uneven couple of years punctuated by struggling economic factors worldwide, maturing markets and some highly publicized accidents and illnesses, the cruise industry is hoping to find a little “double happiness” from the rapidly growing Chinese market – enhanced profits and renewed market growth for both operators and builders. For its part, the Chinese government is betting on a triple payout:  it hopes to serve a growing middle class (estimated at a potential 300 million market) and its desire for cruising vacations…

The ocean cruise market in Germany continues to be one of the fastest-growing tourism sectors. Going by current trends, Germany could rival the UK’s position as the second largest ocean cruise market. Clia Germany revealed at ITB Berlin that 1.77 million German passengers took an ocean cruise in 2014 – a notable rise compared with the 1.7 million that cruised from the UK in 2013. Clia UK and Ireland said the UK’s 2014 figures would be announced next week, at the Cruise Shipping Miami exhibition and conference. According to a Bloomberg report, Germany is becoming Europe’s top contributor of passengers to the cruise industry as record employment levels and generous vacation rules give consumers the cash and leisure time for sightseeing by sea.

Adam Goldstein, President and COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises, Pierfrancesco Vago, Chairman of CLIA Europe and Executive Chairman of MSC Cruises, and Paolo Tonon, Vice-President and Head of Maersk Technology join the list of key industry shipping personnel and EU regulators at European Shipping Week in Brussels March 2-6 . Goldstein and Tonon will bring experience and knowledge of corporate strategy and information technology to the innovation panel discussion, and Vago will be a participant on the closing roundtable session.

Cruise Shipping Miami 2015 is gearing up to offer the most comprehensive and robust roster of panel discussions featuring the industry's most knowledgeable and experienced executives. The panels will be grouped under several broad themes based on industry trends during the four-day conference. The 31st edition of Cruise Shipping Miami is scheduled for March 16-19 at the Miami Beach Convention Center. Organized by UBM Connect, thematic topics include The Geography of Cruise Tourism, Safety and Ship Operations, Market Segments and Cruise Product Development. On Tuesday morning, March 17, the conference will open with the popular State of the Industry session. Participants in that plenary session will be announced in the coming weeks. This program may be subject to alterations and additions.

European Shipping Week has been granted the European Parliament’s official patronage by its President, Martin Schulz. Both the European Commission and the European Parliament have now actively expressed their support for the week-long event which will be held in Brussels during March 2-6, 2015. Commenting on European Shipping Week, Schulz said, “The aim of the initiative, namely to bring together the leading members of the shipping industry of the EU and give them an opportunity to meet, debate and share experiences is welcomed by the European Parliament.

In a letter to Patrick Verhoeven, Secretary General of the European Community Shipowners’ Associations (ECSA), Commissioner Kallas said there was no doubt that Europe needs a high quality shipping sector "that can compete around the world." Maritime transport is a cornerstone of European industry, he said, playing an essential role in Europe's economy. He added, "The European Shipping Week should be an opportunity to demonstrate that regulators and industry share the same objective of promoting quality…

Carnival Corporation & plc announced that David Dingle has been appointed chairman of Carnival UK and David Noyes, currently executive vice president operations, has been promoted to the CEO role, with operating responsibility for the UK-based brands P&O Cruises and Cunard Line. Dingle and Noyes will take up their new roles on October 1, and will both report to Carnival Corporation & plc president and CEO Arnold Donald. “This moves allows us to strengthen further our overall leadership in the critically important UK marketplace, while also promoting from within to leverage the skills, experience and capabilities of our executive team,” Donald said.

Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced the establishment of a Global Ports Committee as well as new regional committees in the Americas, Australasia and Asia in addition to the regional committee already operating in Europe. CLIA is now focusing more on engaging directly with port communities around the world both on operational and strategic issues. Port partners will now have increased opportunities to engage with CLIA member lines through this newly established Committee structure.

Cruise ships agree to adopt the strictest measures to reduce air pollution when entering Italy's Venice Lagoon. The agreement, known as “Venice Blue Flag II,” commits cruise lines to operate the main and auxiliary engines of their ships with marine fuel with sulphur content of no more than 0.1% (lower than the EU guidelines, which recently set restrictions at 0.5%) immediately upon passing the Lido harbour entrance and while travelling through the Lagoon’s marine canals. It also…