It has been announced this week that the Port of Cork, in Southern Ireland, will form a seaport alliance with PortMiami, USA. The link between the two ports will mean a lot for the Irish port in particular as they have a lot to learn from PortMiami which is nicknamed the “Cruise Capital of the World”. PortMiami boasts impressive figures with 60 cruise liners bringing 100,000 passengers and crew to the region. In the agreement the two ports will be exchanging information and ideas with the intention of increasing both cargo and cruise trade between the two well known ports.
Captain Michael McCarthy, Port of Cork Commercial Managers is understandably very positive about the agreement as he spoke about it recently: “The benefit of this mutual agreement means we can benchmark our cruise business with PortMiami who have extensive experience in operating cruise terminals.” “PortMiami is the “Cruise Capital of the World” and they operate very successful turnaround calls for most of the large cruise lines and this is something the Port of Cork hopes to learn from in the future.”
The agreement aims to bring more cruise ships and passengers to the Port of Cork making it a great time for an Ireland vacation.
By contrast, dedicated transport oriented ocean liners do “line voyages” and typically transport passengers from one point to another, rather than on round trips. Traditionally, an ocean liner for the transoceanic trade will be built to a higher standard than a typical cruise ship, including high freeboard and stronger plating to withstand rough seas and adverse conditions encountered in the open ocean, such as the North Atlantic. Ocean liners also usually have larger capacities for fuel, victuals, and other stores for consumption on long voyages, compared to dedicated cruise ships.’..