Singapore set to host world's largest cruise ships by 2010

Channel NewsAsia 12 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE: The world's largest cruise ships currently being built are set to dock in Singapore by 2010, when the new International Cruise Terminal at Marina South is expected to be completed.

The new terminal will double the number of cruise berths in the country to four, the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) said at the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention 2008 in Miami, USA on Tuesday.

STB said the terminal will also be able to host the Genesis-class cruise ships, which have an expected capacity of about 5400 passengers.

The International Cruise Terminal at Marina South has deep waters, a large turning basin and no height restrictions, enabling it to accommodate the largest cruise ships currently being built.

Together with the current Singapore Cruise Centre, STB said it expects the new terminal to increase the country's cruise passenger handling capacity and achieve the targeted 1.6 million cruise passengers per annum by 2015.

Last year, the Singapore Cruise Centre reported a cruise passenger volume of over 943,000, an increase of more than 10 per cent over the 857,000 passengers in 2006.

STB also said Singapore will be the port of call for a host of ships in 2008, including Cunard's Queen Victoria on her maiden world cruise, and ships from Princess Cruises, P&O, Oceania Cruises, Holland America Line and Crystal Cruises. - CNA/ac

Mega cruise ship terminal ready in 2010
Lim Wei Chean, Straits Times 13 Mar 08;

SINGAPORE is powering up its cruise business with a second terminal at Marina South capable of berthing the world's largest ocean liners.

It will be ready in 2010, giving it a two-year jump-start over competitor ports such as Hong Kong, which is also constructing new berths.

The Singapore Cruise Centre at HarbourFront had close to one million people passing through it last year, about 10 per cent more than the year before.

The proposed International Cruise Terminal, with two berths, will help Singapore meet its 1.6 million cruise passenger target by 2015, said Singapore Tourism Board chief Lim Neo Chian on Tuesday, at the annual Seatrade Cruise Shopping Convention in Miami in the United States.

Talk of a new terminal has been in the air for at least a decade when it became clear that the HarbourFront site was unable to host premium ocean liners like Royal Caribbean Cruises' Rhapsody Of The Seas that sailed into Asia for its inaugural journey last December.

Every year, HarbourFront receives 500 calls from ships which fall below the 52m height restriction to get under the Sentosa cable car lines that cross the bay.

Passengers of top-end liners, which can reach a height of over 70m, now have to disembark at the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal - a less than stylish welcome to Singapore.

Last year alone, the container port was used by cruise ships about 25 times due to berthing shortages or size restrictions.

Mr Melvyn Yap of Silversea Cruises, said passengers spend as much as US$100,000 (S$138,592) on round-the-world cruises.

He said: 'It just does not reflect well when the first view these high-end customers get of the country is the container port, does it?'

Without a second terminal, Singapore risks falling behind in the race for Asian cruise passengers, which is expected to hit 2.02 million by 2015, according to Ocean Shipping Consultants.

Bids flow in for work on new cruise terminal
STB could announce winners next month amid project's tight time frame
Vincent Wee, Business Times 13 Mar 08;

(SINGAPORE) The International Cruise Terminal at Marina South will soon start taking shape. The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) could reveal by next month exactly who has been awarded the tender for engineering work on the terminal and who will be in charge of architectural design.

STB, the lead agency for the project, yesterday announced that it had received four proposals for engineering work while three consortia had bid for architectural design work. STB disclosed that the tenders had closed recently.

Engineering proposals were received from Jurong Consultants, Surbana Corporation, Maunsell & Partners and Parsons Brinckerhoff, STB said. Meanwhile, three consortia comprising BEA International and CPG Consultants; Bermello Ajamil and RSP Architects and Engineers; and DMJM Design and DP Architects had put forward proposals for architectural design. Each consortia tied a Singapore firm with 'an internationally renowned firm with notable cruise terminal planning experience', said STB.

There was no indication of when the tenders were held, whether they were open or closed tenders or whether there was any pre-qualifying criteria specified. STB was unable to respond by press time. A source from an architectural firm said bids were invited about three weeks ago and had closed last week. None of the groups have made presentations yet, she added.

'The proposals for both tenders are being evaluated and the winning parties are expected to be announced next month,' STB said. Last month, Minister of State for Trade and Industry S Iswaran had announced a firm completion date of 2010 for the terminal.

STB's technical agent for the project is government industrial estate developer JTC Corporation. JTC has already called a tender for the piling and construction of the terminal's berth deck with work scheduled to begin in June. JTC deferred to STB on more specific details about the various tenders.

STB also said: 'Singapore will also be appointing an operator for the terminal and calling for a tender for construction of the terminal building and carpark in the third quarter of this year.' Construction work on the terminal is targeted to start in the fourth quarter.

STB's statement left open the question of retail space in the terminal. 'Ancillary commercial services are envisaged to also be provided with the terminal building,' it said.

An industry source said that the project's tight time frame could have prompted the tender to be floated in this manner. JTC effectively functions as the main contractor, dishing out contracts for the various components with the government footing most of the cost.

BEA International has experience in cruise centre developments in North America and Spain and has done work on the Shanghai Cruise Terminal master-plan. The firm also conducted a feasibility study and cost/benefit analysis in 2002 for the Port of Singapore for developing what was dubbed a '30-acre mixed use waterfront district called the Marina South Cruise Centre', according to its website. CPG Consultants was recently appointed to provide concept design consultancy services for a mixed-use development in Beijing.

Bermello Ajamil has wide international experience in cruise terminals in North America, Europe and Dubai. It is the master architect for the massive Dubai Maritime City project. In addition, it was retained by the Hong Kong Tourism Board to conduct a study in 2006 to assess the current terminal facility and define plans, operating criteria and tenders for a new terminal.

The tender for Hong Kong's new cruise terminal at the former Kai Tak Airport closed on Friday with two bidders for the 50-year design-build-operate franchise. The winner is expected to be announced in the second quarter.

Question over who will operate two new berths
A tender may eventually be called, says source
Business Times 13 Mar 08;

(SINGAPORE) With the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) coming out to say that the two berths at the new cruise centre at Marina South will complement the current two berths at the Cruise Centre (SCC) at HarbourFront, the question now is who will operate them.

STB has said the government will appoint an operator, but a source revealed that this 'is not cast in stone'. Details have not been finalised and a tender may eventually be called, the source added.

The crux of the issue is whether Asian cruise giant Star Cruises, whose parent Genting International will ultimately run the integrated resort across the channel from HarbourFront, will be willing to berth some of its ships at the new terminal.

Genting will be concerned about a potential conflict of interest arising from its Star Cruises ships, with their onboard casinos and attendant gaming clientele, berthing at a cruise terminal so close to the operations of rival Sands' upcoming resort and casino at Marina Bay.

While Genting might be more worried about leakage, other cruise operators would like to ensure that their biggest and most luxurious ships can dock quickly and conveniently and that their passengers get on and off efficiently and in comfort.

An estimated 5 per cent of cruise ships visiting Singapore have to dock at PSA's Pasir Panjang container terminal because they are too long or too high for SCC's existing berths. Star Cruises ships, however, do not suffer the same size restrictions the other cruise lines do.

The new facilities will be able to berth ships of up to 220,000 GRT, 360 metres long and with a draft of 11.5 metres, making them capable of handling the largest current and future generations of cruise vessels.

Genting was reportedly in talks with SCC on a possible cruise ship tie-up as part of its bid in 2006 for the integrated resort project on Sentosa. The discussion then was to add two new berths so three or four ships could dock at the same time.

After Genting won the bid to build the resort, such talk dwindled, and the subject of a new cruise terminal at Marina South was resurrected.

It is understood that SCC is licensed to operate the present cruise terminal at HarbourFront until 2027.

Industry sources say, however, that a tie-up on some kind of an exclusive arrangement with Star, or even the possibility of Star taking over operations at SCC, would be a logical next step. Star declined to comment.

'At this juncture, we are studying the details and evaluating our options,' said Jean Teo, Star Cruises senior vice-president, sales and marketing.

Silversea Cruises regional director for Asia Melvyn Yap said: 'I wouldn't be surprised if such was the case, as their casino is a stone's throw away.'

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