• 2018 May 3 16:54

    Representatives of European ports gather in Riga to solve challenges faced by cruise business

    Cruise tourism is one of the world’s most rapidly growing tourism segments. Currently, the opportunity to go on a cruise is used by approximately 23 million passengers every year, and forecasts suggest that this number will increase by one third by the end of the next decade. The Port of Riga also sets new cruise traffic records every season. Last year, the number of cruise passengers increased by 22.4% reaching 87.4K, which is an absolute record for the Port of Riga. Last year, Riga was a destination for 86 cruise ships; whereas, this year, the visits of more than 90 cruise ships have already been notified. Moreover, the size of cruise ships entering the Port of Riga has almost doubled over the last decade. While the average DWT of a cruise ship was 23.7K GT in 2008, this indicator reached already 42.8K GT in 2017.

    Cruise ships are not just a good opportunity for the city and the port to earn, but represent also new challenges. Mr Edgars Sūna, Deputy CEO of the Freeport of Riga Authority, explained: “On the one hand, we experience a constant increase in the number of cruise passengers, an increase in the size of ships and the growing comfort demands of cruise passengers. On the other hand, we must observe even stricter environmental standards, preserve the historical values of the city and respect the lifestyle of city residents. This causes serious challenges to all European cruise ports, including Riga.”

    In order to find solutions for challenges associated with cruise business, the Freeport of Riga and other European ports have been involved in the project “Green Cruise Port – Sustainable Development of Cruise Port Locations” financed by the European Regional Development Fund. Within the framework of the project, ports jointly analyse the situation and look for solutions for the topical issues in three main areas: 1) port infrastructure development according to sustainability criteria, 2) environmentally friendly passenger land transport connections at the port 3) ecological and economic impacts of cruise passenger excursions on the port cities.

    On 25-26 April, representatives of the ports involved in the “Green Cruise Port” project gathered in Riga. As noted by project participants, the greatest future challenge is to develop a sustainable, joint policy with regard to cruise ports in Europe. “We need standardisation, hence, it is important to gather and understand what happens in Hamburg, Stockholm or Riga. These projects will enable us to make ports more friendly for business, environment and people,” pointed out Mr Hans Ulrich Wolff, the coordinator of the “Green Cruise Port” project.

    The opportunity to exchange information and experience with other European cruise ports within the framework of the “Green Cruise Port” project is highly important for the Port of Riga. Although the number of cruise ships visiting Riga every year is significantly smaller compared to such ports as Hamburg or Amsterdam, which welcome approximately 200 ships annually, the interest in Riga as a cruise destination keeps growing every year. “We believe that Riga has a great potential for the development of cruise business, and for this reason, the participation of the Port of Riga in this project is crucial,” emphasizes Mr Hans Ulrich Wolff.




2024 November 4

17:27 Hapag-Lloyd christens the “Hamburg Express” in the Port of Hamburg
15:52 Paradip Port to be fully mechanised by 2030
14:13 Autonomous vessel to sail 1,500 km from Mumbai to Tuticorin
13:48 DPA Kandla in a plan for new container terminal and multipurpose berth with ₹27,000 crore investment
12:18 China's 41st Antarctic expedition begins
10:34 10 years old Meyer Turku aims for carbon-neutral shipbuilding
09:41 Port of Vancouver vessel traffic management system enhances marine safety and trade efficiency throughout Burrard Inlet

2024 November 3

15:57 Babcock completes deep maintenance of Lambeth River Station
14:09 Fincantieri and BQ Solutions sign MoU to advance naval education and training in Qatar 31 October 2024
12:51 Rolls-Royce develops new mtu energy and automation solutions for future submarines
10:19 Cepsa changes its name to Moeve
09:46 Singapore says no oil sightings arising from oil-related incidents

2024 November 2

18:06 Singapore’s first fully electric cargo vessel wins Green Ship Award at SRS Forum
17:20 VTTI looks to buy into LNG terminals in Asia
16:48 Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding signs contracts for 12 large container ships in the past 10 days
16:32 CHIMBUSCO secures its first LNG refueling service in Europe
15:46 SLB OneSubsea awarded subsea boosting contract for bp’s Kaskida project in Gulf of Mexico
15:24 Wilson Sons to start construction of three new eco-friendly tugboats in 2025
14:57 Rem Offshore holds keel laying ceremony for REM Pioneer
12:30 World's first conversion of large container ship to run on methanol successfully completed
11:52 New offshore platform taps into potential of heavy-oil reserves in China
11:24 HRDD completes desulphurization tower system conversion for a PCTC
09:48 TOWT launches its first cargo sailing ship in Le Havre

2024 November 1

18:00 Marlink to deploy Sealink NextGen hybrid solution on 26 tankers for Transpetro
17:38 Austal Australia delivers 8th Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boat to Royal Australian Navy
17:23 Acteon and Applied Fiber enter MoU to collaborate on mooring solutions
16:54 KOTUG International and Maritalia S.A. secure major marine services contract for bp’s Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas project
16:24 BW LPG takes delivery of vessel BW Chinook from Avance Gas
15:44 HD Hyundai may nearly double shipbuilding capacity in Vietnam
15:24 Samsung Heavy Industries secures $390 mln contract for four Suezmax tankers
14:36 EU imposes duties on unfairly subsidised electric vehicles from China
14:23 Port of Montreal workers at two terminals start new strike
13:41 Chinese ports container volume rises 7.7 % from January to September of 2024
13:22 MOL, COSCO Co-host 6th Shanghai International LNG Shipping Forum
12:43 Global schedule reliability drops to 51.4% in September 2024
12:22 GTT secures technical services contract with Maran Tankers for eight LNG Dual-Fuel Suezmax vessels
11:45 MSC inks up $2.1bn container ship at the reborn shipyard Rongsheng Heavy Industries
11:28 China's first 'smart factory' for offshore oil, gas equipment fully operational
10:43 Yanmar completes land-based demonstration testing of a hydrogen engine for power generation in coastal vessels
10:23 Samsung Heavy wins W358 bln LNG ship order in Asia
09:58 EU greenhouse gas emissions fell by over 8% in 2023

2024 October 31

18:00 MAN receives multiple orders for MAN B&W G95ME-LGIM Mk 10.5 methanol engines to power a series of VLCV
17:23 The Marechal Duque de Caxias platform ship starts producing in the pre-salt layer
17:06 IWS Seawalker CSOV makes it 1000 ship designs from Kongsberg Maritime
16:45 “K” Line Wind Service and Japan Marine United sign agreement for Phase 2 of NEDO’s Green Innovation Fund Project
16:04 Wärtsilä introduces its innovative NextDF feature for the Wärtsilä 25DF dual-fuel engine
15:45 MOL plans to change charter contract for vessels related to Russia business
15:44 MABUX: Bunker price trends in the world's four largest hubs, Oct 8 - Nov 1, 2024
15:23 HHLA raises expectations for fiscal year 2024
14:59 Major fire extinguished at UK nuclear submarine yard
14:16 AD Ports Group and Somali Ministry of Fisheries & Blue Economy sign MoU for maritime sector development
13:44 Maersk reports Q3 results
12:43 UECC orders four advanced multi-fuel battery hybrid pure car and truck carriers from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard Nanjing
11:39 Japanese сonsortium produces design concept for eco-friendly VLCC
11:12 TMC Compressors bags contract to supply four LNG carriers
10:46 Panama Canal operating costs down 5% in FY2024
09:29 HIF Global and Antarctica21 promote sustainable tourism with e-Fuels

2024 October 30

18:00 East Java Multipurpose Terminal partners with Sinarmas LDA Usaha Pelabuhan
17:22 Container traffic at Iranian ports up 5% in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year
17:06 CIMC SOE delivers second 7,600 cbm LNG bunkering vessel to Seaspan Energy
16:42 Klaveness Combination Carriers makes first move into wind with bound4blue eSAIL system on CABU III newbuild
16:23 Transport workers' strike in Argentina to affect port operations
15:59 South Korea's seaport container cargo up 3.5 pct in Q3
15:46 Stena Line marks significant milestones in build of NewMax ships, Stena Futura and Stena Connecta
14:55 DNV and LR grant AiP to HD Hyundai Heavy Industries for ammonia duel-fuel large container vessel
14:45 Jiaxing Port adds a new sea-river intermodal operation area
13:32 Maersk signs long-term methanol sourcing deal
13:08 MOL and Pyxis sign Collaboration Agreement for development and market expansion of electric vessels in Singapore and Japan
12:40 AD Ports Group and the General Department of Vietnam Customs sign MoU
12:21 TE H2, CIP, and A.P. Møller Capital Partner for a large-scale project in the Kingdom of Morocco