Tuesday, May 20, 2025 - 10:24 by ce-press
The agenda for this year’s Cruise Europe (CE) conference has gathered momentum to include different moderators for each session, new to CE cruiseline executives and speakers, as well as a workshop format in the afternoon.
The latter actively demonstrated a theme of integration and collaboration which ran through the few days we were in Copenhagen, aptly hosted by both port and city: Copenhagen Malmo Port (CMP) and Cruise Denmark - Copenhagen and beyond (CDCAB) respectively.
CE chair Simone Maraschi set the scene with his opening remarks: “The cruise industry is not just resilient but forward looking. We are navigating challenges but also opportunities. If we embrace transparency and dialogue, we can counter misconception with tools”.
The conference began with a keynote address from Felix Eichhorn, president AIDA Cruises, who began by saying that the brand carries half of the three million German cruise passengers a year and has eight out of its 11 ships based on Northern Europe and Baltic deployment. He says: “It is capacity, not demand, that is the growth limitation”, citing Cruise Lines International Association predicting 40 million passengers worldwide in 2027, a 28 percent rise on 2023.
In discussing sustainability, he highlighted that: “A one-week cruise with AIDAnova from/to Hamburg to Norway releases no more CO₂ per guest than a one-way flight from Hamburg to Palma de Mallorca or Lisbon.”
AIDA began planning for OPS in 2004, developed its first connection with Hamburg in 2017, plugged in 65 calls in 2023 and is aiming for 500 this year. “In Northern Europe, every second call is connected to OPS,” he said.
Eichhorn’s final words demonstrate a recent shift in industry attitude: “We see ourselves as part of the local communities [we visit]. We want to be seen as a new neighbour in the neighbourhood, building bridges and understanding what is on hand there, supplies also. For example, in Nordfjordeid, the majority of their revenue is now coming from cruise.”
A panel on legislation and policy across Europe began with an introduction from Heino Nau, coordinator International Blue Economy at the European Commission, in which he said that all port activities will be brought into one framework: “We want European ports and shipping to be green, and supported by appropriate funds.” (See City Hall below for more details).
Panel takeaways occasionally strayed from the main topic but each had its own value. These included Niels Wammen-Jensen, group vp, government affairs (Europe) at MSC Group, pointing out that “LNG brings down GHG by 20 percent but, to reach zero, we need biofuel and synthetic methane”.
Whilst Dirk Inger, vp public affairs, communication & sustainability at AIDA Cruises, added: “We cannot see the market for alternative fuels developing [as quickly as we would like]. We need political decisions. Aviation and maritime: how can e-fuels be brought to these two sectors, and not others?”
Meanwhile Nick Hughes, coo Ambassador Cruises, highlighted what is seldom said and that is that the new fuels will have less energy value - and be more expensive - which will “ultimately be fed back to our customers”. He also put in a word for older tonnage, pointing out that one of Ambassador’s vessels has a carbon intensity indicator of A.
Royal Caribbean’s Jonathan Hawkings, director, senior government relations UK & Nordics, was also keen to highlight that “ships also go to smaller destinations, that may not get revenue otherwise”.
