Tag Archives: Ports

Madeira Receives Double Nomination for 2026 World Cruise Awards

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Madeira Receives Double Nomination for 2026 World Cruise Awards

Madeira Ports has announced that it has received a double nomination for the World Cruise Awards, marking the fifth consecutive year that the international awards program has recognized the destination.

“These nominations are an important international recognition of the work that has been carried out in Madeira to develop an increasingly sustainable, high-quality and competitive cruise tourism sector,” said Jose Manuel Rodrigues, regional secretary for economy, who oversees the Madeira Ports Administration (APRAM, S.A.).

He added that the double nomination further strengthens Madeira’s reputation as one of the world’s leading cruise destinations.

For Paula Cabaco, president of APRAM, the nominations “reflect the commitment and dedication” of the company’s employees, as well as all the professionals who make up Madeira’s cruise tourism value chain.

“Being shortlisted for these awards also highlights APRAM’s commitment to environmental sustainability and to continuously enhance the experience offered to both passengers and crew,” added Cabaco.

“More than an institutional recognition, these nominations are an honor for Madeira and for the Madeiran people, whose hospitality makes every cruise call a truly memorable experience.”

The nominations follow the destination winning “Europe’s Best Cruise Destination” in 2022, 2023 and 2025, and being named “World’s Best Cruise Terminal for Sustainability” in 2024.

Madeira is among the finalists in both categories, the ports said in a press release.

In the category of “Europe’s Best Cruise Destination,” Madeira is competing alongside Athens, Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Kotor, Lisbon, Monte Carlo, Nice, Oslo, Rome and Southampton.

For the title of “World’s Best Cruise Terminal for Sustainability,” the Port of Funchal is shortlisted alongside the cruise terminals of Steinwerder, Flam, Kai Tak, Montreal, Copenhagen, Kiel, Valletta and Victoria.

Voting is free and open to the public and takes place online through the World Cruise Awards website until August 21.

The winners of the 2026 edition will be announced on October 14 during the annual gala, which this year will take place in Jamaica.

Madeira stated that it has already won the title of “Europe’s Leading Island Destination” on twelve occasions.

AIDA Cruises Highlights Operational Efficiency Initiatives

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AIDA Cruises Highlights Operational Efficiency Initiatives

AIDA Cruises has detailed several initiatives it employs in order to improve ship operation efficiency.  

They include expanded shore power use, increased adoption of biofuels and advanced digital solutions. 

Biofuels 

After biofuel was first used onboard the AIDAprima in summer 2022, the LNG-powered ships in the fleet are being prepared for the future use of additional biofuels and e-fuels as soon as they become available in sufficient quantities. 

In 2025, more than 8,500 t of ISCC EU-certified Bio LNG were supplied to the AIDAnova in the ports of Hamburg, Kiel and Zeebrugge, according to Dirk Inger, senior vice president public affairs, communication & sustainability at AIDA Cruises. 

The company said it is also working with partners from science and industry to prepare for the future use of e-fuels onboard its vessels. 

Examples include participating in research and development activities focused on innovative energy conversion and storage technologies based on renewable ammonia as well as developing hydrogen as a fuel for future combustion engine-based marine propulsion systems and evaluating the implications of integrating such technologies into cruise ships.  

“However, several challenges remain for the broader adoption of e-fuels, including fuel availability in ports, industrial-scale production capacities, internationally harmonized regulatory frameworks, and the lack of commercially viable pricing structures in Germany and Europe,” Inger added.  

Shore Power 

In 2017, the AIDAsol became the first cruise ship to regularly use shore power in the Port of Hamburg through Europe’s first shore power facility for cruise ships, located at the Cruise Center in Altona.  

Since then, AIDA Cruises has continuously expanded the use of shore power, resulting in 340 shore power connections in 2024 and 440 in 2025. 

The company is currently planning around 540 shore power calls for 2026 with its vessels. 

Shore power is available in 17 European ports, including Hamburg, Warnemünde, Kiel, Southampton, Bergen, Oslo, Stockholm, Rotterdam, Copenhagen, and Le Havre, among others.  

This represents approximately half of all AIDA port calls on Northern European itineraries departing from Germany.

Digital Energy Management 

Reducing energy consumption is said to be a key component of the company’s technical fleet management strategy, and all ships in the fleet are equipped with integrated energy management systems that are connected to a group-wide data platform.  

Digital applications, machine learning and artificial intelligence are used to analyze operational data and identify further optimization opportunities. 

AIDA underlined EOS (Energy Optimization System), a digital analytics system, which has been gradually implemented across the AIDA fleet since 2023, as one of the most important investments in this area. 

Incorporating variables such as weather and wind conditions, vessel and engine models, and the number of guests onboard, EOS assists crews in making operational decisions in real time, such as optimizing onboard energy flows or calculating routes designed to minimize energy demand.  

The system has been shown to significantly reduce energy requirements for propulsion and various onboard systems, AIDA noted. 

AIDA Innovation Hub 

As part of the application phase for the new AIDA Innovation Hub, start-ups, tech companies, industry partners and scientific and research institutions were invited to submit their ideas for smart solutions in the fields of decarbonization, sustainability and AI tools.  

The company received more than 150 potential ideas, which will now be reviewed and the shortlisted projects will be presented to an expert jury in Rostock on September 16, 2026.  

The winners will have the opportunity to further develop their ideas together with AIDA through implementation studies or test them as a pilot project onboard AIDA vessels. 

Santorini Old Port Pathway Reopens

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Santorini Old Port Pathway Reopens

The stepped pathway that links the old port of Santorini with the town of Fira reopened in early August, according to Atlantea.

Serving as one of the main access pointsto the Greek island for cruise passengers, the Karavolades Stairs had been unavailable since late July.

As reported by Cruise Industry News at the time, local authorities closed the 558-step staircase due to the collapse of a wall of a private building.

Atlantea said that the incident caused a small landslide, which effectively blocked the passage of pedestrians and donkeys.

Santorini’s old port is the traditional gateway for cruise passengers visiting the island, serving as a starting point for most tours.

As the largest and most developed settlement on the island, Fira is located approximately 250 meters above the port and can be accessed via the Karavolades Stairs or a cable car system.

With the closure of the pathway, Santorini authorities suspended regulations that limit the number of cruise passengers arriving via Athinios Port.

Located on a different part of the island, the pier offers better infrastructure and can also be accessed via cars and buses.

Cruise lines were temporarily authorized to disembark more passengers in Athinios, facilitating organized shore excursions to other parts of Santorini.

With Karavolades reopening, the limitations were reinstated, capping the daily number of guests arriving at the new port at 30 percent.

The regulation entered into effect earlier this year due to what the Municipal Port Fund of Fira called civil protection measures.

Introduced after a seismic crisis that affected the island in early 2025, the measure is said to be aimed at keeping roads clear for potential emergencies.

Santorini is one of the main destinations for cruise ships in Greece, welcoming vessels from a wide range of cruise lines.