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Cruise: Virgin’s Ladies for the Caribbean

The Virgin brand has entered the Caribbean cruise world. The flagship of Virgin Voyages mv Scarlet Lady, was scheduled to make her maiden voyage on April 1, 2020, sailing out of her Miami homeport. She is the first of four ‘Lady ships’ being built by Fincantieri of Italy, all of which were designed ‘carbon-neutral’, in keeping with Virgin Group’s founder, Sir Richard Branson’s commitment to a ‘net-zero carbon future’. Technologies on board include a scrubber system to control CO2 emissions; a catalytic converter to reduce NOx gases; LED lighting; and, streamlined lines to greatly minimise drag. It also comes with technology to convert heat, radiating from the engines, into electricity. The line’s Caribbean itinerary includes (among other ports) Puerto Plata, Costa Maya or Key West, San Juan, Cozumel and The Bahamas. —

Cruise: Cayman Islands ‘cruise-port referendum’ stalled

Government plans to build new cruise port docking and reception facilities in Grand Cayman is again stalled. A national referendum called for by citizens of the Cayman Islands, which would determine whether plans to build a new cruise port facility could proceed, was set back following a court decision. The referendum was set for December 19 last. However, it was postponed once the court ruled that the legislation drafted to facilitate the plebiscite was ‘incompatible’ with section 70 of the territory’s Constitution. Section 70 speaks to provisions and requirements of a general referendum law, which does not now exist. (And so, the court felt that the Referendum Law of 2019, duly passed Parliament in October 2019, could not have been in accordance with a law that did not exist. When the date for the referendum was set, the citizens who had raised opposition to the building of the new cruise piers and successfully campaigned for the referendum, made applications to appeal for a judicial review of the date set for the referendum – that it was before an updated environmental impact assessment was completed. They were concerned about the timing; the wording of the referendum question; that it excluded 220 newly registered voters; that there were no campaign finance rules or restrictions; and, that allowances were made for the sale of alcohol on Referendum Day. Such requirements and provisions would have been contained in a general referendum law, referred to in the Constitution. The Court accepted the arguments with the judge chiding the legislative branch, saying it was unfortunate that the need for a general referendum law had not been addressed by any government despite recommendations made by the Constitutional Committee in 2011 and 2014. The proposed $200 million cruise pier development would allow passengers to disembark on shore. It includes development of two piers able to accommodate mega cruise ships. The proposal also includes renovations to the current cargo port facilities. —

Cruise: Disinfecting cruise ships – a new product

An antimicrobial surface coating that is transparent and odorless; that decomposes viruses, bacteria and mold spores, is exactly what the world needs now. And it is exactly what ACT.Global is offering. The product is branded Premium Purity. And the company claims that once the coating is applied it, actively decomposes bacteria, viruses and “… harmful volatile organic compounds.” When the coating is exposed to light, the company stated, a photocatalytic reaction starts that decomposes microbes and purifies the air. Once all areas of the ship are coated, daily cleaning is performed with a proprietary system which “transforms water and salt into a liquid detergent,” the company states. The system allows elimination of chemical detergents and negates the need for protective gear for janitorial detail. Cruise lines have become interested since the system was installed on Lindblad’s mv National Geographic Explorer, a state-of-the-art, ice-class expedition ship with 81 cabins. —

Equipment: Curacao new port gantries

Curacao took possession of two new Kalmar gantry cranes in February. The equipment arrived in Willemstad on Sunday February 16 aboard the heavy-cargo carrier Wish Way. The cranes were damaged while being transported into position, making violent contact with Willemstad’s iconic Queen Juliana Bridge. Bridge traffic was suspended but the roadway was re-opened following inspection. The cranes were however damaged. —

Dominican Republic: Logistics Park for Punta Cana Airport

The first airport logistics park and free zone complex in the DR and the Caribbean is cleared for development following a formal agreement between Punta Cana International Airport and DP World Caucedo. The two entities signed a pact on February 14 to establish the transshipment facility. This development is a joint strategy designed to increase re-export cargo volumes going through the Dominican Republic. —

Jamaica: Waste reception gets kudos

AJamaican company, CEAC Outsourcing, is now about two years into effectively receiving ship-generated waste. And Captain Steven Spence, director of Safety Environment and Certification, Maritime Authority of Jamaica, thinks the company is the best and most organised waste reception facility in Jamaica. Crew of ships using ports of IMO member-states must properly offload their garbage in order to obtain official receipts to prove that they have properly discharged waste produced during their voyage. In 2018, CEAC Outsourcing launched its HazPro brand. It built a facility away from the port and accepted, for incineration, waste including food garbage, combustible materials and medical waste. Oil sludge collected is recycled for use in various applications including resurfacing of roads. The facilities are operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In its first year of operation, CEAC Outsourcing processed approximately 5,000kg of ship generated food waste. —

Panama Canal: Climate Change brings rate hikes

Historically low water levels in Panama’s great lakes recently pushed the Panama Canal Authority to review its transit fees. New so-called ‘fresh water’ fees took effect on February 15, 2020 and apply to all vessels more than 125 ft. in length. There is a fixed fee of 10,000USD with additional charges related to water levels at Gatun during crossing. This is in addition to rate changes already scheduled to come into effect on April 1, 2020. According to one source, this scheduled increase could raise transit charges by up to 17%. When this is added to the ‘fresh water’ fees, some carriers could see total increases of up to 30%. —

Safety: Fires on board

Shipboard fires, the most horrific circumstances to occur during a voyage, have been of recent concern. And the fire on board Cosco’s mega ship, Cosco Pacific in the first weekend of 2020 was frightening. It has now been firmly attributed to lithium batteries in a container. The fire flared while the ship was en route to Nhava Sheva, India. The vessel had to be quickly diverted to Colombo to deal with the emergency. Cosco’s investigations revealed burnt lithium batteries in a container loaded in Nansha for Nhava Sheva. The contents of the container were falsely declared as spare parts and accessories. —

*Editor’s note: Shipping consultant and PORTSIDE CARIBBEAN columnist, Capt. Rawle Baddaloo, looks at the life-threatening dangers and responsibilities related to misreporting and faulty documentation in his essay on improper documentation [see page 34].

Portside Caribbean

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Caribbean Ports and their stakeholders, through the sharing of experience, training, information and ideas.