MSC Cruises recorded its best month for new bookings in the line’s entire history

MSC Cruises recorded its best month for new bookings in the line’s entire history

MSC Virtuosa Docked in the Port of Rotterdam photo credit Spacejunkie2 (Flickr)

MSC Cruises recorded its best month for new bookings in the line’s entire history in October after taking nearly 400,000 bookings for winter 2022/23 and summer 2023 itineraries across its global fleet.

The line said average occupancy for its vessels during both winters 2022/23 and summer 2023 would be higher than historical levels, with robust interest and demand for its new flagship MSC World Europa, as well as soon-to-be-delivered MSC Seascape and MSC Euribia, which is due to enter service next summer.

MSC also claimed a recording-breaking October for its UK operation, which the UK and Ireland managing director Antonio Paradiso said was characterised by "strong booking trends" for ex-UK sailings and 2023 cruises. The line was unable to provide specific UK booking data for October.

Gianni Onorato, MSC Cruises chief executive, said: “October has been the strongest month for bookings in the entire history of our brand. We see strong demand with an extended horizon in the medium to longer term to such extent that guests and agent partners are starting to close bookings now to avoid the frustration of not being able to find the perfect holiday option for themselves or their clients."

Onorato added the trend reflected MSC’s investment in its fleet, its "truly global" array of itineraries and the line’s commitment to operating sustainably, as well as the value an all-inclusive cruise fare represents during the current economic downturn.

Half of Global Cruise Fleet in Service for Second Consecutive Month

The cruising restart has seen a positive trend over the past few months. Fueled by various countries and markets reopening ports to cruise vessels, the industry saw an unprecedented number of vessels resuming revenue operations around the world over the summer.

As the restart continues, 205 ships are expected to be in guest operations by the end of September. This number means that, for the second month in a row, nearly half of the entire global cruise fleet is in operation.

According to the 2022 Global Cruise Ship Index by Cruise Industry News, the combined fleets of the nearly 90 active cruise lines currently account for approximately 410 cruise ships.

After significant growth over the previous months, 190 cruise ships were sailing with paying guests by Aug. 31. With 15 additional ships entering service through the end of September, the active cruise fleet is growing nearly 8 per cent this month.

More ships resuming service means that more cruise lines are relaunching revenue operations. In September, brands like Regent, Plantours and Star Clippers are welcoming guests back, making it 63 brands back in service.

The aforementioned data is from the Cruise Ships in Service Report by Cruise Industry News.

The restart numbers started growing in May, which saw 55 ships operating revenue sailings. In the preceding eight months – only an average of 20 ships were in service. 

A turning point, however, was reached in July. With the U.S. ports reopening for business, 141 vessels were back in service by the end of that month – an 82 per cent increase over June numbers.

From May to September, the average guest capacity per ship grew significantly, too, going from 994 to 1,454.

Gibraltar Steps Up for Crew Repatriation for Royal Caribbean

The Port of Gibraltar has played a key role as a gathering place for Royal Caribbean Cruises vessels to move crew between ships as the company works on its repatriation efforts for its global fleet.

The Chief Minister Fabian Picardo of Gibraltar has recently exchanged letters with Royal Caribbean’s Director of Port Services EMEA Alessandro Carollo, following the successful repatriation of Royal Caribbean crews from Gibraltar, according to a press release.

In his letter to the Chief Minister, Carollo wrote that "communities like Gibraltar are rare gems of humanity in such difficult and unprecedented times’ and expressed ‘sincerest gratitude for your [Gibraltar’s] cooperation, support and professionalism."

Looking to the future, Carollo noted that "Royal Caribbean has been historically supporting Gibraltar as a destination for its guests, and will continue to do so when regular cruising will restart."

In his reply, the Chief Minister promised that "Gibraltar will be here to welcome you back, and we look forward to doing so for many years to come."

Cruise lines praised for environmental measures in Clia study

Cruise lines praised for environmental measures in Clia study

The overall environmental impact and performance of cruise ships is improving through continuous development of technology, alternative fuels and mandatory industry environmental policies, a new study claims.

Although cruise ships represent less than 1% of the global commercial maritime fleet, the industry’s actions have substantially contributed to the maritime community’s initiatives in environmental stewardship.

The analysis was conducted by independent maritime environmental experts for industry body Clia.

The study by Energy and Environmental Research Associates analysed the practices and performance of the Clia cruise line members’ global fleet of nearly 300 ocean-going ships as well as the industry’s investment in technology on new build vessels.

The study found that the emissions of cruise ships account for only 3% and 1.2% of all emissions within ports in the US and Europe, respectively.

Clia cruise line members were found to meet or exceed international air emission requirements.

The study also concluded that Clia members are leaders in the maritime sector in adopting cleaner fuels, controlling air emissions, and preparing vessels to connect to shore-based energy systems.

Technologies and best practices identified in the report include:

• Systems to reduce air emissions from exhaust stacks, including, as one example, advanced exhaust gas cleaning systems (EGCS) to reduce sulfur oxide (SOx) and particulate matter.

• The use of shore power where available, while noting that Clia cruise line member use of advancements in alternative fuels and emissions abatement technologies could reduce the need for investment in additional shore power in the future.

• Fuel switching to lower sulfur fuel before entering an Emission Control Area, if other methods of emissions abatement are not otherwise available on a cruise ship.

• Investment in the use of alternative fuels such as Liquefied Natural Gas, with the number of new build orders for LNG-fuelled ships increasing.

Wastewater effluents of members’ ocean-going vessels meet or exceed the standards prescribed by the International Maritime Organisation for international shipping.

Clia’s mandatory wastewater discharge policy, which prohibits the discharge of untreated sewage from ocean-going cruise ships anywhere into the sea, goes well beyond international wastewater regulations that allow commercial vessels to discharge untreated sewage into the ocean provided a ship is 12 nautical miles from shore and moving at designated speeds.

Cruise line members are also leaders in the development and deployment of Advanced Waste Water Treatment Systems.

At least 26 new builds will use AWTS, and an estimated 50% of new cruise ships over the next decade will utilise AWTS, which goes beyond already stringent and effective wastewater regulatory requirements.

Compared against the global commercial maritime fleet, EERA found that Clia cruise line members have demonstrated leadership in wastewater management in several areas.

James Corbett, a professor at the University of Delaware School of Marine and Science Policy and one of the authors of the study, said:

“Our technical analysis of the cruise industry’s leadership and performance in working to protect the environment found that Clia’s ocean-going member cruise lines often go beyond the protective environmental measures required by regulation.

“The cruise industry also demonstrates continued leadership in the development of responsible environmental policies and investment in technological innovations to further protect oceans and air.”

Association president and chief executive, Cindy D’Aoust, said: “I am proud of the performance of Clia cruise line members and their commitment to the protection of the environment.

“Safe-guarding and preserving the world’s precious natural resources is not only the right thing to do, but it is essential to the cruise experience for generations to come.

“Clia cruise line members take environmental commitment very seriously, and this research provides not only the first-ever authoritative baseline of the cruise industry’s environmental performance, but it also provides a foundation for Clia and our members as we continually focus on improvement and measuring the outcomes of best practices and policies.”