Monaco hosted the Association of Mediterranean Cruise Ports’ (MedCruise) 35th General Assembly from October 28th to 31st, at which Mediterranean port managers convened with cruise company leaders to discuss the challenges facing the cruise industry in the Mediterranean regions.

H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco attended the assembly’s opening ceremony on October 29th, as the Principality’s heads of state welcomed more than 100 delegates to the event.

Delegates representing 51 ports, ranging from as far as the Black Sea to newest member Madeira in the Atlantic, met with cruise executives Carol Marlow, md of P&O Cruises; Norwegian Cruise Line’s president and coo, Roberto Martinoli, and NCL’s Steve Bock; MSC Cruises’ Luigi Pastena; Silversea president, Amerigo Perasso; V-Ships president, Roberto Giorgi; Star Clippers ceo, Mikael Krafft; and Costa Cruises/ Elisabetta de Nardo.

On Thursday the 29th, MedCruise delegates met in private to discuss controversial issues cruise ports are confronting. In response to requests by cruise lines, the ports considered joining efforts to create a unified berth booking and confirmation process so that cruise lines can efficiently confirm their itineraries among MedCruise members. Members discussed environmental regulations on the horizon, including the desire by some policymakers that ports consider supplying shore-side electricity to cruise ships to reduce air emissions while at port. The delegates questioned the financial feasibility of this proposal and discussed other emission-control alternatives. The members also brainstormed on indicators MedCruise should investigate to create benchmarks for top-class cruise ports and facilities.

The cruise line guests were invited to meet with MedCruise port managers in private during a second workshop discussion on Thursday afternoon. Cruise line executives attending the workshop agreed to collaborate closely with MedCruise in developing benchmarks and best practices for its cruise ports. At the workshop, MedCruise offered the lines a unified Mediterranean cruise berth booking process to confirm calls at its member ports over a year in advance.

At the workshop and in the speeches cruise line guests presented Friday morning, cruise executives requested that MedCruise coordinate an H1N1 protocol following the UK ports’ model, and that members streamline port decision-making, focus attention on environmental regulations and shore-side reception facilities, and stand together with the lines in educating regulators on matters concerning the cruise industry. Friday afternoon was devoted to business-to-business meetings between the cruise line executives and the port managers.

The MedCruise 35th General Assembly was a “green conference” with a minimal use of paper, sustainable practices at its venue hotel, and 3,000 euros of air flight carbon offsets donated by Societe Monegasque de l’Electricite et du Gaz and Ports de Monaco to Monaco’s Ecole Bleue, which protects the Mediterranean’s marine environment through childhood awareness programmes.