http://www.forbes.com/logistics/2006/02/14/geologistics-royal-
carribbean_cx_0214cruiseboats.html?partner=rss
Feeding The Love Boat
Robert Malone, 02.14.06, 2:00 PM ET
Everyone knows what a cruise is about: sun, fun and, of course, eating
constantly. But it's the last expectation that creates one of the most
interesting problems in logistics. How do you provide a floating feast
to a vessel that's always on the move?
You call GeoLogistics.
Shipping lines in the cruise ship business rely on third-party
providers that offer the means to direct supplies to ships in transit.
These supplies need to be on time, in the right quantities and in
quality condition, and shipments must be planned weeks or months in
advance of the delivery date. Third-party providers may also take care
of delivering maintenance supplies and furnishings. Or they may
provide extended services, like health issues and customs assistance
at various ports. GeoLogistics has offices worldwide where these
services can be coordinated.
"A typical ship, such as a Royal Caribbean International ship, may
receive anywhere from seven to ten shipping containers full of food
and beverages in one shipment," says Michael Squadrille, the director
of business development for the Americas Region of GeoLogistics.
They provide global-scale services for Princess Cruise Lines, such as
with their Diamond Princess ship, including technical support,
maintenance, logistics transportation management and security. For
Royal Caribbean International (nyse: RCL - news - people ) and
Celebrity Cruises, GeoLogistics provides containers from their U.S.
distribution center in Florida by sea freight to whichever European
ports (such as Rotterdam) are nearest to the port being used by a
particular cruise ship. Between ports, they truck the containers.
As much as half of a cruise ship's deliveries can need refrigeration.
These goods are kept cool in containers during transit and during the
waiting period before being loaded onto a cruise ship. Newspapers and
other time-sensitive materials may be delivered by airfreight and then
go by truck to docked cruise ships.
"Cruise ships often dock at 7:00 A.M. We do the loading while the
passengers disembark and tour. By the time they come back in the
evening, we are finished loading, and they are basically unaware of
our work. Other docking services may well be loading alongside of us,"
says Squadrille.
The pressure on the cruise companies and the third-party providers
will become more intense in the near future. Cruise ships, like the
Royal Caribbean's soon-to-be-launched Freedom of the Seas, exemplify
the recent trend toward an increase in cruise ship size. Freedom of
the Seas will have nearly twice the passenger capacity of the Queen
Mary II (4.370 passengers compared with 2,820). In turn, she will be
dwarfed by the upcoming Royal Caribbean ship Project Genesis. This
floating city is expected to carry 6,400 passengers and weigh in at
220,000 tons. The logistics of a seamless supply of goods will require
many more than ten containers at each port of call.
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