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2 eCRUISESNEWS , THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 3 eCRUISESNEWS / Ceuta, the Key to the Mediterranean

, the KeyCeuta to the Mediterranean

4 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 5 euta is strategically locat- ed at the entrance of the Mediterranean, on one of C the busiest sea routes in the world, the Straits of . Ceuta is a remarkable enclave full of attrac- tions, starting with the famous Mount Hacho, one of the two columns of Her- cules, which had to be separated to unite the waters of the Mediterranean with those of the Atlantic Ocean. This characteristic of an entrance between two continents makes Ceuta an excep- tional city for its situation, for its cli- mate, for its cultural miscegenation, for the coexistence between the religions that live there and for being a piece of embedded in Africa.

The future of the port of Ceuta inexorably passes through a piece of evidence; the ex- istence of an entire continent that needs a range of services, taking advantage of pre- cisely that condition of Spanish and Europe- an nationality in Africa, not to mention other circumstances that drive its traffic, such as the tax advantages and its prices, which are comparatively cheaper than on the . Although Ceuta is frequently a fleeting crossing point for cruise passengers passing through the Straits on ships sailing towards other consolidated destinations such as the Mediterranean, shipowners should consider including Ceuta in their itineraries to discover it. Its situation between two seas, between two continents and the hospitality of its peo- ple gives it an added value that enriches any itinerary.

The first cruise calls in Ceuta Ceuta has a long tradition as a transit stop- over on tourist cruises. Before World War II it had illustrious visitors such as the German ship Monte Rosa, which called in Ceuta in 1935, on a cruise that afterwards called at Barcelona. Another German ship, the Mil- waukee, also visited Ceuta on a cruise from Genoa to the Canary Islands. Its British com- petitors were also frequent visitors to Ceuta, with stopovers by various tourist cruise ships such as the Montclare, the Montrose, P&O Mongolia or Lamport & Holt Voltaire. In another landmark for the port, in August 1957, Cabo San Roque, the flagship of Ybarra

6 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 7 & Company, called at Ceuta on its inaugural cruise from Bilbao to Barcelona. More re- cently, in 1998, the Atlantic Festival itinerary, departing from Malaga on board the Don Juan, of the Royal Hispania shipping company, also called at Ceuta.

Ceuta has a long tradition as a cruise Calls during the 21st century port of call. In the 21st century, references to cruise ship calls are quite extensive: for example, on April 29, 2006, the Wind Surf ship, from the In Ceuta, cruise ships Wind Sail Cruises company, on a cruise be- dock just a short five- tween Cádiz and Malaga. That year her twin minute walk from the ship, Club Med 2 also called, docking in the city centre. west berth. That year marked a deep decline in activity, with only nine stops, compared to the thirteen ships that had docked in Ceuta The “Dock España” is in 2005. The change in the routes of many able to accommodate 75% of current cruise lines as well as the emerging econom- cruise ships. ic crisis hit the Ceuta enclave. However, Ceuta’s cruise activity rebound- ed again in 2007 with 20 calls. In October Carnival Corp’s of that year, Norwegian Dream arrived from shipping companies . This vessel remained are Ceuta’s best for several years as the largest cruise ship to customers. calling at Ceuta. In 2008 there were 25 calls with 32,606 tour- ists. This year there was an important event: after the experience of the cruise ship Mr. Juan, Ceuta was once again included in a round itinerary from Malaga. The British cruise line, Thomson Cruises, included the city of Ceuta in several of its itineraries and its ships Thomson Destiny and Thomson Spirit, made nine calls in the Ceuta port. These two years, 2007 and 2008, constituted one of the most successful stages of Ceuta as a cruise port and became an achievement difficult to better. The trend changed in 2009. During that year Ceuta closed the year with only ten calls, something that had only occurred once in the previous ten years. The season began on March 14 with the arrival of the classic ship and closed on December 28th with Amadea’s arrival, from the German operator Phoenix Reisen, which docked with more than 900 German tourists on board. Between these two there were three more calls in May, three in September and two in October, which involved more than 5,000 tourists. Among them, there was the Tahi- tian Princess, which was one of the first ref- erences of the well-known shipping company, one of the leaders in the Premium sector. These 10 stops were one of the lowest figures since 1998, when 18 ships called at Ceuta.

8 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 The first decade of the 21st century closed with eight calls, once again a benchmark in the world of cruise ships: the Pacific Princess ship, which docked on December 10, 2010 for the first time in the port of Ceuta,- hav ing departed from Barcelona and heading towards Casablanca. Calls from the Portu- guese Funchal ship from Lisbon were also registered. The Arcalia Shipping Company, which afterwards went into bankruptcy due to the economic crisis, had sent its entire fleet to Ceuta. So, the Princess Danae, the Ocean Monarch and Athena had previously called at the Spanish port, demonstrating the attractiveness of Ceuta as destination for the Portuguese outbound tourist market and the viability of an itinerary that includes Lisbon and Ceuta. Given the strength of the Portu- guese capital as a home port, it would be very interesting to promote Ceuta for cruises departing from that port.

eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 9 2011-2015: The effects of the crisis The impact of the economic crisis and the ar- rival of larger ships in the Mediterranean had a negative effect on Ceuta cruise traffic fig- ures in the first five years of this decade. Cu- riously, this decline coincided with a decline also accused of Malaga, which went from 322 calls in 2010 to 227 in 2015, its historical low. Gibraltar, Ceuta’s competitor, also had a decrease in traffic. Therefore, we were facing not a local but a regional phenomenon that affected the ports of the Straits, the result of pressure from new destinations such as Cart- agena, the decrease of long itineraries from the ports of the Gulf of León to the Canary Is- lands, and the crisis, which made shipowners send their ships to more consolidated desti- nations, such as the western Mediterranean or the Adriatic / Aegean. 2011 began with good news as Ceuta was in- cluded in a regular itinerary of MSC Cruises. MSC Melody offered calls in Ceuta on its 12- day cruises with departure from Genoa and calls in Alicante, Cartagena, Tangier, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Funchal, Ceuta, Palamós and back to Genoa. That year the first cruise call of the cruise ship Kristina Regina by the Finnish cruise line Kristina Cruises, was also registered. Another of Ceuta’s historical clients is the British cruise line , which offers cruises for the elderly. In 2012 it maintained its fidelity to Ceuta with two calls by the Ruby Saga, the second of which came from Cartagena and continued to Casablanca. Its entire historical fleet, with ships such as the Saga Pearl II, or the Saga Rose, were regulars almost every year in Ceuta. Saga Cruises is currently immersed in a process of the com- plete renewal of its fleet, which includes the incorporation of two new vessels this year and in 2020, the Spirit of Discovery and the Spirit of Adventure. Several institutions, such as the Port Authority and the Ministry of De- velopment, are doing a remarkable job to make Ceuta an accessible city, without ar- chitectural barriers. This goal can be a good bet for cruise lines with a high percentage of retirees or, as they now say, “senior” passen- gers. Customers from Saga, Holland Ameri- ca, etc. could visit the city and its museums, attractions, etc. without any architectural barriers and this would be a very important commercial allure. In 2013 this sluggish state in cruise traffic continued, but past clients, such as Thomson Cruises, maintained their activity in the port. On May 1, the 243-meter Thompson Dream

10 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 Ceuta: the column of Hercules

Centuries of coexistence in harmony between that have a rectangular shape, which, after their its four cultures (Christian, Islamic, Jewish and restoration, were inaugurated in 2006. There Hindu) make Ceuta an exceptional enclave in the are in addition other examples of the history world, together in the same cosmopolitan environ- of this territory, such as the Merinidian Walls, ment. But also, Ceuta is a European city, modern, the strength of the Hacho, or the three mili- clean and without a great expanse, which makes tary museums, including the one of the Legion. it perfectly suitable as a perfect cruise destina- But Ceuta also provides examples of contempo- tion for several hours. It offers multiple attrac- rary architecture, such as the House of Dragons, tions. Perhaps the most demanded is the Mari- inaugurated at the beginning of the 20th cen- time Park of the Mediterranean, a leisure complex tury as the headquarters of the African Casino designed by César Manrique, about 55,000 m² in and famous for the large mythological sculptures

Ceuta is a unique example of fusion of four different cultures.

size, located in front of the port, which offers its that decorate its roof. Or the new auditorium, visitors three artificial salt water lakes, gardens, the work of the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza. waterfalls, a solarium, a stage and local leisure. As far as religious architecture is con- Ceuta also offers to cultural travellers its most cerned, the 16th-century baroque ca- representative sight, the Royal Walls with its thedral and the 17th-century baroque navigable moat, built over centuries by Romans, church of Our Lady of Africa are highlights. Arabs, Portuguese and Spaniards to protect the Finally, the great offer of nautical of isthmus and the Almina peninsula, where the Ceuta stands out for the most active passengers. old city was located. The complex consists of The sea is the heart of this Ceuta leisure, with its several defensive lines full of battlements, tow- Mediterranean and Atlantic beaches and a large ers, bastions, and the “Plaza de Armas”. Anoth- marina in the centre of the bay from which it is er attraction is its Arab baths dating from the possible to go sport fishing or scuba diving or twelfth century and composed of four rooms make sea excursions on board tourist boats.

Ceuta is a shopper’s paradise. Its tax system allows its visitors to buy jewellery, eyewear, photography, electronics, pictures, cosmetics and clothing at very competitive prices.

eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 11 arrived and became the largest cruise ship to enter the port, but always separated from the nine calls in 2008 of its fleet companions, the Thomson Destiny and the Thomson Spirit. It arrived from Portimao (again a Portuguese connection) and departed to Cartagena. But it was an unequivocal proof of the interest of this cruise line to recover the Port of Ceuta within the itineraries of its vessels. Another regular, the Kristina Katarina, with about 300 Finnish passengers, also made a call that year in Ceuta before leaving for Malaga. 2014 started relatively well in Ceuta, with four calls by different cruise lines before July, almost all of them from regular cus- tomers: P&O with the Adonia, Princess with the Ocean Princess, Phoenix with the Am- adea (which became the first cruise ship to refuel in Ceuta) and Peter Deilman with the Deutschland. They were all relatively small vessels, a fact that demonstrated the exist- ing infrastructure deficit in Ceuta at that time. However, the trend did not continue the rest of the year and there was a decline in traffic compared to 2013. 2015 was a turning point towards the future. It was the year when the adaptation work at Dock started, the aim being to adapt it to the length of the new cruise ships. Those responsible declared during the Seatrade Cruise Shipping in that year that “Now Ceuta is preparing for a totally different out- look”. With only four cruise calls and less than 1,600 passengers, 2015 was Ceuta’s starting point as a cruise destination.

The impact of new facilities. The arrival of mega cruise ships In 2016, a total of fifteen cruise ships docked in Ceuta, with more than 20,000 passengers, which meant a new historical record. That year Panamax-sized cruise ships began ar- riving in Ceuta, such as the Oosterdam, op- erated by Holland America Line, or its near twin Arcadia, operated by the British P&O, both belonging to world’s largest cruise ship owner, Carnival Corp, a giant who has never hidden its interest in Ceuta. These ships, 290 meters long and around 2,000 passengers, broke all previous records. Holland America also sent for the first time its ship, Rotterdam. At the same time, Ceuta maintained its his- torical customers such as Thomson Cruises with seven cruise calls of the Thomson Spirit during this year (which represented almost half of all cruise calls), which arrived from Almeria and departed to Malaga, highlight- ing again the dovetailing of Ceuta with other

12 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 Andalusian ports. The recently completed construction of the Dock España, together with the promotion carried out by the Port Authority, meant that the number of calls tripled that year, and thanks to the increase in the size of the ves- sels, the number of cruise passengers was multiplied by ten. In 2017, the four calls by the TUI Discovery 2 stood out, the new flagship of a former client for the port, Thomson Cruises, which sent its largest and most modern ship to the Autonomous City. The Westerdam took over from its twin Oosterdam of Holland America, with three Ceuta calls, which confirmed this American premium shipping company´s in- terest in Ceuta Port within the itineraries of its cruises. And P&O repeated with the Arcadia and the Aurora but had to cancel a cruise call of the Oriana due to bad weather. That year the Ceuta Cruise Forum was also held. In 2018, there was a slight decrease in tour- ist cruise traffic. Ceuta continued to receive ships from its usual customers. Thomson Cruises was renamed , but its fleet, in this case the Marella Spirit, did not miss its appointment with the Autonomous

eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 13 14 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 City with four visits and P&O repeated with the Aurora. But 2018 finished the season with several events: the first one was the call by the Zenith of on Septem- ber 20, 2018. The second was the first call of a Royal group ship, the second largest shipowner of cruise ships globally. Its previous absence had been an unresolved issue for the Port. The second event was the arrival of the Sap- phire Princess on October 2, the first post panamax, and the largest cruise ship that had docked in the history of Ceuta, with its 290 meters in length, 8.5 meters of draft and 115,857 tons of registration. And the year ended with the arrival of the flagship Holland America Line on October 11, and the Kon- ingsdam, 100,000 tons, delivered in 2016. It was unequivocal proof of the loyalty of Hol- land America Line.

Present and future prospects 2019 began on January 22nd with the stop- over in Ceuta of the Saga Pearl II on its last trip for Saga Cruises, one of the historical clients of the Port of the Autonomous City. This ship went to Melilla, one of the few oc- casions when both autonomous cities were included in the same itinerary. P&O repeated again with the Arcadia and the Aurora, Prin- cess with the Sapphire Princess, and Holland America Line included Ceuta in the Prinsen- dam’s itinerary this spring, also on one of its last trips of this ship for the cruise line. The season finishes in October with the Sapphire Saga, another of the Saga Cruises ships, within an itinerary called “Viva España”. In total, seven cruise ships made stopovers at Ceuta Port this year. The Port of Ceuta was present at the tenth edition of “Seatrade Europe Cruise and River Cruise”, the reference trade fair of the Euro- pean cruise industry celebrated in the Ger- man city of in September, with the aim of increasing the number of cruise calls in the city. German shipping companies are one of the issues to resolve for the port of the Autonomous City, since to date, neither Aida, nor TUI, the two main German shipping companies, have made calls at their docks, neither have other smaller ones, such as Hapag-Lloyd or Plantours. And nowadays is the number one cruise market in Europe. Saga Cruises has confirmed two cruise calls by its new Spirit of Discovery for next year, the ship delivered last June, and Holland America will return to Ceuta with its Rotter-

eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 15 dam. Another loyal customer, Princess Cruis- es, will again offer the destination of Ceuta on two cruises: one by the Crown Princess from and another aboard the Sea Princess, which will call on June 26, during its World Tour cruise from Sydney. That day the streets of Ceuta will be filled with Aus- tralians. By 2021 there are already two reser- vations for two new Princess ships in Ceuta: the Grand Princess and the Island Princess.

Facilities for Cruises The Ceuta Port Authority launched in 2015 a project to improve the “Dock España”, which was the regular berth for cruise ships, in or- der to receive vessels of up to 300 meters in length and improve the integration between port and city. The construction work, budg- eted at almost two million euros, was car- ried out in three phases, in order to allocate the infrastructure to cruise ships and mega yachts and to be able to compete with Gi- braltar and Tangier.

16 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 

The first phase consisted of the transfer of Shore Excursions the companies that maintained their com- mercial activity in the dock to other locations. Thus, Dock España had a unique use, being The Port of Ceuta has become the best starting point to a berth dedicated only to cruise ships, some- visit Morocco, since it organizes excursions lasting a few thing very much appreciated by the cruise hours to nearby cities such as Tangier, Tetouan or Chaouen, lines companies, which also serves as the provided by specialized receptive agencies that offer their services and a guarantee at European standards. gateway for cruise passengers in the city. Tetouan is only 41 kilometres south of Ceuta. It is a city Subsequently, three of the sheds that occu- declared as a World Heritage Site thanks to its medina, pied the dock were demolished, resulting in considered the most complete medina in Morocco, as a diaphanous dock. The control tower and well as one of the most authentic, almost without external the headquarters of the Port Authority, a very influences. Also very interesting is the so-called Spanish interesting ship-shaped building, were left Ensanche, an area adjacent to the medina, with important standing. With this action, the possibility of examples of Spanish colonial architecture. separating pedestrian traffic from the road Tangier is located 77 kilometres east of Ceuta. There are and generating parking for coaches and taxis two different areas included in its historical area: the me- was achieved. dina with its Kasbah, an old walled enclosure in one of the The last phase of the project included the hills of the city, with a chaotic lattice of narrow streets that construction of new defences and bitts on has integrated the wall and the fortifications built by the the east side, the one that cruise ships use Portuguese as well as the Kasbah museum; and the new to dock, and made it possible to dock ships city, with the old French quarter and the new Spanish dis- with a tonnage greater than the current one. trict. A tourist information point was also installed, Chaouen, 105 kilometres from Ceuta, is known as the blue town for the striking colour of its medina’s houses. Its souk, its citadel, and the Great Mosque of the fifteenth century with an octagonal tower and the narrow streets of the upper part of the medina, are part of Chaouen’s charm.

The Rif mountain range is a mountainous area of landsca​​ - pes always surprisingly green and rugged and is an option for the more adventurous passengers.

eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 17 Evolution of port calls in Ceuta in the last decade Year 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 • Port calls 10 10 8 8 4 15 11 10 • Cruise passengers 4.899 6.088 4.607 4.235 1.587 19.456 17.045 15.861

which has been reinforced this year with an- ceive cruise ships. But the growing number other similar one, opened with the arrival of of cruise ships means providing Ceuta with the Sapphire Princess. guides, interpreters, buses and shore excur- Subsequently, the treatment to the exterior sions, etc. And all this offer must be public accesses to the Dock España was carried out knowledge and be prepared in advance for to give continuity to the earlier work, with an when the cruise passengers arrive. The Sapphire Princess approximate area of 4,200 m2 and located in It is also necessary to improve Ceuta’s com- is the largest cruise front of the gate of the facilities of the Dock munication and information on social net- ship that has made a España. works and the Internet and offer information cruise call in Ceuta. of this destination in several languages. An- The future of Ceuta in cruise traffic other need is to improve the information on Ceuta has noteworthy infrastructures to re- their tax system, one of whose highlights is

18 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 19 that Value Added Tax (VAT) does not apply. Nowadays there are about 350 cruise ships that have a total length of less than 300 me- ters, which is about the maximum length that the port of Ceuta could host, so its infrastruc- ture can accommodate most of the current cruise fleet. It seems unthinkable that larg- er-sized vessels (like the Oasis type of RCI, MSC Meraviglia of MSC or Costa Smeralda), will be able to make stops in Ceuta. In the commercial field, in addition to main- taining its long-term customers such as the “Premium” brands of Carnival Corp, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, and P&O, and other independent brands such as Saga Holidays, etc., Ceuta must capture cruise Ceuta has always calls from the other three major shipping been a port of cruise groups in the cruise industry: Royal Caribbe- stopovers, both for its charm and for the an, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises. attractive tax system Finally, Ceuta is a port that currently does not for fuel supply. receive stopovers by luxury shipping com- panies such as Silversea, Seabourn, Ponant, etc. or “upper Premium”, such as Oceania or Viking Cruises, with medium-sized ships that would not present any problem to dock in the “Dock España” with cruise passengers with high purchasing power. In addition, some of the cruise companies such as Viking Cruises, maintain ships in the Mediterranean throughout the year providing cultural itin- eraries, in which the presence of Ceuta and its area of influence in Morocco could be an interesting novelty. The richness of the fauna of the Straits, together with the beauty of the Rif, also places Ceuta in a good position in

20 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 the exploration and adventure cruise market, one of the segments with a greatest devel- opment potential. Ceuta has a privileged position in the west of the Mediterranean, an area frequented by cruise ships especially in spring and autumn, coinciding with the beginning and end of the summer season at Mare Nostrum. When it comes to building itineraries, Ceu- ta is located at an ideal distance from base ports such as Malaga, from which it is sep- arated only by 69 miles (only 5 hours at 15 knots), from Alicante by 298 miles (20 hours at 15 knots, ideal for an arrival at noon), from Cartagena by 239 miles (16 hours at 15 knots, ideal to arrive mid-morning). The same goes for Cádiz (84 miles). For example, Lisbon and Ceuta are separated by 313 miles. Thus, a Lisbon-Cádiz-Ceuta itinerary, for example, makes a very attractive combination. It also

eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 21 offers a lot of potential in the itineraries from is located 510 miles from Barcelona, while, the Canary Islands: 720 miles from Santa for instance, Malaga is 460 miles away. The Cruz de Tenerife (two days of navigation), or 50-mile difference between Malaga and the 703 miles from Las Palmas, which with an is perfectly acceptable to intermediate stopover in a Moroccan port, compete as a port of call. And the same thing such as Casablanca, means Ceuta could be happens to compete with Gibraltar, a port part of a very attractive itinerary. that has recently won the port calls of Aida in Finally, regarding transatlantic cruises; Ceuta the Strait, so Ceuta has the necessity to com- pete with promotion, attractive services and affordable rates. 

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22 eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 LOCAL CUISINE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

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eCRUISESNEWS CEUTA, THE KEY TO THE MEDITERRANEAN • October 2019 23 , the CeutaKey to the Mediterranean