11 June 2012Port of Dover welcomes delegation from Taiwan to share expertise...
A VIP delegation from the newly formed Taiwan International Ports Co Ltd (TIPC), which manages Taiwan’s four main ports, visited the Port of Dover on Friday, 1st June 2012. The delegation was led by the President of TIPC, Mr Lee Tau-Hsin, who recently co- hosted the visit to Taiwan made by the Under Secretary of State For Transport, Mr Mike Penning, of which the Port of Dover was a part.
Following the recent Trade Mission by the Minister and the Port of Dover to Taiwan, the aim of the reciprocal visit was to build on the strong relationship between the two organisations and provide guidance and assistance to TIPC in respect of the development of the Taiwanese ports as they move into the next phase of their expansion. The partnership between the Taiwan and Dover was emphasised in August 2011, when the Port of Dover signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Keelung Port to further develop ties with the ports, TIPC, MOTC (Ministry of Transportation and Communication) and the marine industry in Taiwan.
On arrival, the delegates who with President Lee included Ms Chen, I-Fang, Senior Supervisor of TIPC Ltd, were met by Roger Mountford, Chairman of the Port of Dover and Dr Bob Goldfield, Chief Executive of the Port of Dover, who together with Tim Waggott, Director Business and Support Services, delivered a presentation about the development of the Port of Dover. The delegation was then taken on an extensive tour of the Port including Terminal Control, Port Control and the Cruise Terminals 1 and 2, where employees of the Port were on hand to meet the guests and answer questions. The final destination before the delegation departed was a visit to Dover’s historic castle.
Commenting on the visit, Dr Bob Goldfield, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome the TIPC to the Port of Dover. The visit represents the strengthening of our relationship with Taiwan and gave us the opportunity to showcase the Port and highlight our world-class expertise in the area of port management and port development. We look forward to building a long-term relationship and working together to achieve our joint objectives.”
The Port of Dover offers a wide range of expertise in the areas of ferry and cruise service, port development, skills and technical training, as well as environmental management and health and safety systems in Europe as well as Asia. It already offers contracted services in the Republic of Ireland and expects to significantly expand its consultancy business in coming years, in the UK, in Europe and in Asia.
Cruise Calls: Looking Good for 2013
The Garden of England’s Cruise Port announces bumper crop of cruise ships for 2013
With 149 cruise calls, the 2013 cruise season looks set to be another successful year for Dover Cruise Port. More than 250,000 passengers will experience the high quality facilities and services available at the cruise terminals along with the wonderful attractions that Kent has to offer.
Ships from prominent cruise organisations including Fred Olsen, Saga, Holland America, Princess Cruises and six star luxury cruise lines Crystal Cruises and Seabourn Cruise Lines will all return to Dover Cruise Port during their voyages. These are in addition to the extremely popular AIDA Cruise Line which will be bringing another new ship to Dover called the AIDAstella which will set course on its maiden voyage through Northern Europe on 17 March 2013, following its christening ceremony. A new four-day city tour will take passengers from Hamburg to Amsterdam and Dover in March and April.
Carnival Cruise Lines will also be returning to Dover, with the Carnival Legend operating nine turnaround calls for a variety of Northern European itineraries. In addition, MSC will have nine port calls enabling passengers to experience the delights that Kent has to offer as part of their Northern European tour.
Kate O’Hara, Head of Business Delivery at the Port of Dover said; "First-class levels of service, excellent facilities and a wealth of shore excursion opportunities, coupled with a high speed rail service to the centre of London, have contributed significantly to the continuous growth we are enjoying. Our repeat customers already know that there’s no better way to start a European cruise than sailing into the sunset against a back-drop of the White Cliffs."
See also our CRUISE thread for 16 pages of pictures and stories...
http://www.doverforum.com/letters/viewtopic.php?id=9896
This shot was taken the other day at the height of the stormy weather. It shows the lighthouse on the outer wall bearing the brunt of the powerful waves as the wind and surf whip about. No guys fishing on the wall that day...no takers! but seriously.. as can be seen, not the least bit safe out there, as the waves were continually powering over everything in sight. Also see feature 263 in our archive ( All Recent Features on left ) for further pictures and info on the stormy conditions. The ferries kept running through it all but of course docking was a problem which resulted in delays, which as per usual also resulted in tailbacks up the A20.
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