Evaluation of Klaipeda seaport as technical services' port in cruise shipping market

Abstract

Cruise shipping is considered as a profitable port activity, however it might not be always easy to achieve. The new terminal was opened at 2014th in the seaport of Klaipeda, however the number of cruise passengers has not changed significantly according to the general trends. The previous researches established the group of affecting factors such as the number of attractions and entertainment, local authorities and tourism sector cooperation with the seaport authority, which have significant impact on cruise shipping tendencies. However it is not always sufficient due to the availability of natural and artificial tourism facilities and also other required resources are limited. It is for such reasons the idea came up to develop a cruise ship technical services concept and evaluate the Klaipeda seaport development opportunities in this area. Research results showed that the overall technical services’ attractiveness for cruise shipping at the Klaipeda seaport is relatively low, that is why the development of technological services’ attractiveness has sufficient capacity to attract more cruise ships, especially with the perspective of bunkering cruise ships by liquefied natural gas.