Here we go again! There is plenty happening in the world of passenger vessels. While the coronavirus appears to have slaughtered the cruise sector, most other parts seem to be at least surviving and, in some cases, flourishing. In any case, most of the orders for recently delivered vessels were placed well before the virus hit us. At least their builders have managed to keep operating to finish them.
Obviously, tourism, particularly international tourism, will take a long time to recover. However, local "within a bubble" tourism seems to be flourishing in those parts of the world such as Asia and Australasia where "lockdowns" were quick, hard and well-enforced.
The next step, of course, will be the vaccine. It appears likely to be widely introduced in Q2, 2021. If it is effected as quickly as hoped, there could well be a tourist boom driven by all the pent-up demand by the northern summer. Let's hope so anyway.
Meanwhile, in this month's Passenger Vessel Week there will be full reviews of seven new vessel types (some have several identical sister vessels) with plenty of news of others. Those reviews cover vessels ranging from 8.5 to 126 metres LOA and built of aluminium, FRP and, even "old-fashioned" steel. They include Ro-Pax and pure passenger ferries along with simple day tourist boats, fast, stepped-hull passenger tenders through to an exclusive luxury cruise ship.
Owners include those from Thailand, Japan, Malaysia, Australia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Builders are from Iceland, Vietnam, Australia, and Portugal. The designers are from Australia, Iceland, Portugal, and Thailand. Our usual very cosmopolitan cast of players.
Notably, and importantly for passenger vessels, well more than fifty per cent of those "vessel types" are catamarans with multi-compartmented hulls. They have been built to the rules of and classed by either leading class societies or the Australian NSCV Rule. They should be as safe as possible.
Of course, as usual, there is a vast array of engines, propulsion systems, electronics, safety equipment, decoration, HVAC and other important components from global sources presented along with the vessels. It's another exciting and fascinating week.
– "The leader initiates movement to the destination, and then the other unmanned boats can estimate the intention of the leader, and align their movements accordingly."
Remember to come back every day to see the latest news, opinion and vessel reviews!
Any news or views about the global maritime tourism, ferry and cruise industries? Send it through to editor@baird.com.au ASAP (between now and November 27), so we can add it to this current edition of Passenger Vessel Week!
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