MedCruise, the world's leading cruise port association, and the State Ports Authority, an agency under the Spanish Ministry of Public Works, have signed a collaboration agreement on matters of common interest for the benefit of their respective members.
Puertos del Estado (State Ports Authority) is responsible for implementing the Spanish government's port policy and coordinating national port authorities, as well as promoting the Spanish port system and the maritime sector. MedCruise's mission, on the other hand, is to promote sustainable growth in cruise tourism, both in terms of passengers and port calls, in member ports, cities, and destinations in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, Red Sea, Adriatic Sea, and Near Atlantic, and to promote its member companies within the cruise industry.
The presidents of both organizations, Ornella Chacón from the Canary Islands representing Puertos del Estado and Airam Díaz Pastor from the Canary Islands representing MedCruise, sealed the agreement today with a staged signing ceremony at the Puertos del Estado headquarters in Madrid.
Both organizations have declared their interest in working together on issues of common interest in order to contribute to the sustainable future of the cruise industry, ports and their environments, as well as to collaborate on specific training in areas of mutual interest.
Following the signing of the agreement, experts from both organizations met to discuss current issues in the cruise industry, such as new environmental regulations and the position of both institutions in relation to the European Union.
Puertos del Estado joined, at the beginning of this year, the MedCruise associate member program, which counts among its partner ports 11 Spanish port authorities, out of the 28 that make up Puertos del Estado.
The MedCruise Association comprises ports located in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Adriatic Sea, and Near Atlantic. In 2018, they handled nearly 27 million cruise passengers, and this figure is expected to increase slightly for the third consecutive year in 2019, maintaining its position as the second largest cruise region in the world in terms of capacity, behind only the Caribbean.
