Atlantic Europe: regional meeting

Helena Gomes Fernandes, chair Atlantic Europe region and commercial & marketing manager at the Port of Leixoes (Porto), and Piet Vandenkerhove, vice-chair and Port of Antwerp-Bruges cruise account manager, kicked off the AE regional meeting in Reykjavik in May by highlighting some of the geopolitical concerns.

These include the slowly recovering Baltic region, Houthi attacks leading to the cruise abandonment of the Red Sea and Suez Canal and the Strait of Hormuz/Iran War leading to the cancellation of the 2026-7 Middle East cruise seasons. It was highlighted that the resulting redeployment to the West Med, NW Europe and the Caribbean could open up opportunities for additional calls to the AE region.

Key findings from the recent Rotterdam economic impact & sustainability of the cruise industry study were highlighted. These included the fact that The Netherlands generates €1.01 billion in total cruise-related output within the €62.1 billion European industry, that turnaround passengers spend €238 to €250 a day on hotel, transfers, retail etc and that crew spending totals €2.4 to €3.5 million each season.

In terms of the port's decarbonisation strategy, shore power has been operational since March 2025. It is supported by dedicated grid structure, aligned with EU FuelEU Maritime % AFIR regulations and strengthens the business case for cruiseline plug-in under EU ETS carbon pricing. When it comes to alternative fuels, advanced biofuels have already been trialled, LNG is currently being used but the methane slip remains a critical climate concern and readiness is being built for methanol.

An update was supplied on the EU Ports Strategy which was adopted by the European Commission in March 2026. Key takeaways included that shore power is now a concrete funded action. Cruise shipbuilding is a named priority segment in the companion Industrial Maritime Strategy.

Passenger terminal security was highlighted as being an area that requires attention, such as background for port workers that need more training as partners in fighting crime, cyber and hybrid threats. In this respect a new EU-wide forum for member states' cybersecurity and port authorities to exchange best practices has been established. In addition, the commission is to carry out a risk assessment to identify pressing cybersecurity vulnerabilities all across all port types.

Of note are three key areas which are not covered by the strategy: overtourism/cruise passenger caps; cruise-specific emissions targets; and cruise capacity or route planning.

The emerging EU Sustainable Tourism Strategy however is concerned with the above, over tourism being the core concern. In addition decarbonisation expectations will tighten; integrated multimodal ticketing will affect fly-cruise distribution leading to cruise having to plug into single-booking systems; coastal destination management tools will be directed at cruise-heavy ports. Although there will be no direct cruise legislation, there will be indirect regulatory pressure through maritime, environment and transport policy is growing.

Updates were provided on onshore power supply and the entry/exit system, both of which are work in progress but have some way to go (for further details see the AE presentation on the CE website).