Page 8: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Jan/Feb 2017)

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Editor’s Note

There is a saying in the air freight business, especially among the pilots that get those giant airplanes from point A to point B. Although these pilots tend to make less than their passenger

Port Miami jet counterparts, they nevertheless stay on the cargo side of the equation. Any of these trans- portation professionals will tell you, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, “Freight doesn’t complain.” & Port

Thirty thousand feet below, on the waterfront, cruise company executives know only too well exactly what those pilots are talking about.

Everglades

Separately, and at a time when there are far more questions than answers in the world of commercial blue water shipping, it can be said that one sector – the global cruise industry –

Invest continues to provide investors, mariners and a growing customer base seemingly unlimited opportunities, upside and return on investment. The logistics of making this happen has be- come increasingly complex, especially where it involves keeping and growing a discerning and demanding customer base. Nowhere is that more true than in the United States and the heart of that effort ultimately emanates from the state of Florida.

At the same time, cruise operators, ports and terminals alike know it won’t be enough to just sit back and wait for new business to come. As the two cruise ports that dominate the domestic cruise industry, Port Miami and Port Everglades, upgrade existing terminals and plan new berths to accommodate existing cruise lines and the ones still to come, the future and the very nature of cruising is set to change forever. Rick Eyerdam’s story begins on page 32.

Halfway around the globe, a different situation is unfolding. The autonomous, Special Admin- istrative Region of the People’s Republic of China, also known as Hong Kong, is engaged in a focused effort of its own. Long the dominant port and logistics hub in the region, Hong Kong s slipped to the worlds num today faces stiff competition from other regional ports and has slipped to the world’s num- ber