Isabelle Ryckbost explains how the ESPO aims to work with passenger shipping sector
By
Michele Witthaus |
This article first appeared in the Spring/Summer 2015 issue of International Cruise & Ferry Review. To read other articles, you can subscribe to the magazine in printed or digital formats
As the official voice of the European port sector in dealing with the European institutions, the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO) has long advocated for its constituents on matters related to their freight operations. Its passenger shipping brief has developed more recently and is engaged in a range of cooperative activities with cruise and ferry ports.
Most of the ports in Europe have a single port authority that covers both trade and passenger transport. ESPO’s various technical committees deal with specific port issues such as sustainable development, intermodal transport, governance, marine affairs and trade facilitation and in 2010 a passenger committee was established. Last September ESPO became part of an initiative aimed at closer cooperation with cruise and ferry ports and destination associations within Europe. The Cruise and Passenger port network within ESPO will link Cruise Baltic, Cruise Europe, Cruise Norway, MedCruise and Cruise Britain with representatives of member port authorities.
“It’s good that all these regional cruise port organisations can strengthen our input by joining us in this network,” says Isabelle Ryckbost. “What we would like to achieve with the network is to bring together the knowledge of all the cruise and ferry ports in Europe and then to identify challenges so that if there is a proposal on the table, we can bring these points to the attention of the network.”
She is keen to see a “mainstreamed approach” to this cooperation. “We want to get a lot more knowledge about the sector from the cruise side and the passenger side, in cooperation with all the regional cruise associations that are really experts in the matter. Then we will take their views to our respective committees.”
ESPO bring significant regulatory experience to these conversations, she says. “All these cruise organisations have given us a mandate to be their voice towards the European institutions – and also to have a clear port authority angle on all the different issues. We will defend the position of the cruise port authorities towards the European institutions.”
Ryckbost notes: “Of course that does not exclude working together with CLIA and the other stakeholders. It’s good to have reflection among port authorities to find out what we think on a subject. Then we can speak afterwards with CLIA and others and ask: Do you share our point of view? Can we do something together and can we make our plea stronger by working together?”
A key strength of ESPO is its clear identity and remit, she says. “We represent only the port authorities, so if there is a point of view agreed by ESPO, this is very representative and clear.
“To the Commission we are the official stakeholder on port issues, and we will always be actively involved in everything that concerns port authorities. So if they want to have the port authority view they come to ESPO.”
ESPO is currently developing a code of practice for cruise ports. “We recently conducted a survey asking all our members, also the members of the different regional organisations, to tell us about their main challenges and needs. Our idea is that we will end up with a list of five main challenges.” From this will emerge the code of practice – “a bottom-up approach on how to be a good cruise port.”
Working groups will be set up to focus on specific challenges, tackling matters including relationships with the city, the local authorities, the cruise lines and people living around ports; competition with other cruise ports; freight versus cruise relationships; mobility to and from ports; transport infrastructure; ship congestion; waste reception; environmental issues; local legislation; customs and passenger rights.
Ryckbost says the ferry sector is also in ESPO’s sights. “They are completely different sectors: some important ferry ports are not so important for cruise.” The organisation is in the process of establishing relationships with ferry operators and this aspect of its work will pick up speed in the coming months.