The Maritime Executive's Annual Passenger Vessel Edition Available Online

The cruise industry is coming off a record year and this year looks even better, so welcome to our annual Passenger Vessel edition!

We kick it off with our cover feature on American Cruise Lines, the leading river cruise company in America. Founded way back in 1973, it’s now headed by second-generation Charles B. Robertson, son of the founder, and his two brothers. Family-owned and operated, it pioneered the industry in the U.S. and rivals the best Europe has to offer in terms of luxury, itineraries and unforgettable experiences.

Read all about it in this edition’s Case Study and Executive Interview!

“Building Momentum” is the apt title of Associate Editor Allan Jordan’s Global Cruise Outlook article. It gives all the facts and figures on just how good things are for cruise companies and their customers. More than 37 million passengers are expected this year, another record, so book early or you might just miss out.

In “Ol’ Man River.” Senior Editor Jack O’Connell gives you a close-up look at what it’s like on an American Cruise Lines voyage. Jack’s been on many ACL cruises, and he’s a big fan. This one was down the Mississippi from Memphis to New Orleans, one of ACL’s most popular itineraries.

Jack also interviewed Tim Klaybor, Managing Director of Fassmer Service America, for his Executive Achievement feature. Fassmer, of course, is a well-known name in lifeboats to you Maritime Executive readers, and Klaybor and his team have their hands full keeping up with demand.

In “A Cruise, But Green?,” E.U. correspondent Erik Kravets wonders whether, despite all its efforts, the industry really is green. But he’s sure the E.U., with its zealous over-regulation, will be able to fix whatever’s lacking. In “America Gets Serious About Shipping,” energy guru Allen Brooks takes a close look at the Shipbuilding and Harbor Infrastructure for Posterity and Security (SHIPS) for America Act, recently introduced in Congress, and concludes that there’s still hope for the shrinking U.S.-flagged fleet and the declining number of mariners.

Passenger safety is the subject of Pat Zeitler’s article, “Safety Management Systems,” in which he discusses companies, including Fassmer, who are leading the way in advanced lifesaving software and equipment. News Editor Paul Benecki discusses water treatment systems, a little-known topic among most cruise passengers, and their vital importance in “Compliance Assurance,” while ports’ columnist Tom Peters analyzes the “Economic Impact” a booming cruise industry has on ports, large and small – a topic most cruisers know a lot about.

Rounding out this jampacked edition are three articles on the clean-energy transition and net zero. Master mariner Sean Hogue highlights the benefits of LNG in “Liquefied Natural Gold.” Chad Fuhrmann shows how voyage optimization software and systems are “The New ‘Great Circle’,” and Sean Holt analyzes the shortcomings and often conflicting impact of decarbonization initiatives in his witty and incisive article, “Finding Zero.”

So that’s about it for this edition, but I think you’ll find it more than enough. We’ll see you at Seatrade Cruise Global in Miami in April. All aboard! – MarEx 
 

Tony Munoz is the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of The Maritime Executive. 

To read the latest edition of the magazine, go to The Maritime Executive January/February 2025 Passenger Vessel Issue.  To subscribe to the magazine, please go to https://www.maritime-executive.com/subscribe.