Pierfrancesco Vago, chairman of MSC Cruises proven at Ocean Cay MSC Marine Reserve in November 2021, talked to the Miami Herald Monday. He’s in Miami Seashore for Seatrade 2022, the important thing international cruise business convention.
Advertisement
James McEntee
AP
Seatrade, the cruise business’s largest international convention, kicked off Monday for the primary time since 2019 with the customary massive crowd on the Miami Seashore Conference Heart.
Advertisement
Leaders of the embattled business are optimistic. Regardless of repeated coronavirus outbreaks on ships, being shut down for over a yr in U.S. waters and taking over large money owed to stay afloat, they insist cruising is again and rising close to the identical tempo it was pre-pandemic, with new cruising manufacturers rising and plenty of longstanding corporations persevering with to sink billions into new ships and cruise terminals.
The Miami Herald sat down with Pierfrancesco Vago, the worldwide chairman of Cruise Line Worldwide Affiliation, generally known as CLIA, cruising’s largest commerce group and lobbying arm primarily based in Washington, D.C. Vago will ship SeaTrade’s keynote remarks Tuesday alongside different high business executives. The convention runs via Thursday.
Vago can also be the manager chairman of MSC Cruises, a Geneva-based cruise line that lately began constructing a brand new cruise terminal at PortMiami, which would be the largest cruise terminal in North America.
Advertisement
The interview has been edited for brevity and readability.
▪ Query: Please consider the present state of the business. What are traits you’ve seen and challenges going ahead for cruising?
▪ Reply: It’s nearly been the right storm within the final two years with the pandemic and the battle in Ukraine. However the functionality of the business to adapt and react in brief discover has meant we’re very environment friendly. Ships are movable property, so we now have that going for us. We’ve needed to take St. Petersburg off Baltic Sea itineraries, however we now have added extra stops in North Europe across the Fjords. We’ve needed to modify to itineraries altering on the final minute due to border closures. Since cruising restarted in Europe in August 2020, the cruise business has had 7.5 million passengers globally.
Advertisement
We additionally stay in a really peculiar second when passenger bookings are a lot nearer to the departure date, as a result of issues can change so planning journeys has been tough. Obviously, among the corporations have struggled via this final 24 months with their money flows, so there was a slowdown on getting passengers reimbursements. However I feel now with the enterprise selecting up once more, everyone understands that we now have to look out for our purchasers.
▪ Q: As cruising’s lobbying physique, how has your relationship been with Washington and the CDC, particularly since the nation’s well being safety company issued an surprising journey warning on the finish of 2021 towards cruising no matter vaccination standing?
▪ A: We need to guarantee we now have the suitable authorized framework to function in a good method and in a means that’s corresponding to our land-based opponents. We’re nonetheless working very nicely with CDC to deal with an emergency.
Advertisement
The CDC journey warning clearly was surprising. We felt that our protocols had confirmed itself within the final months, and to offer a Stage 4 warning, it was a bit bit unfair. Now the warning is gone, so it signifies that the information we shared with the CDC had been OK. We’re working with them and being clear in sharing information so we are able to all make choices.
▪ Q: Why has the cruise business not made public the variety of COVID-19 circumstances amongst passengers and crew members?
▪ A: Numbers have to be understood and defined. Generally exhibiting folks a quantity with out correct context might be misused and create confusion on this very advanced surroundings we live in. We didn’t share the numbers not as a result of we don’t need to be clear, however as a result of no matter comes out of that information needs to be analyzed by the CDC for skilled evaluation.
Advertisement
▪ Q: Cruising has at all times been a comparatively reasonably priced trip, will passengers see costs rise?
▪ A: We’re two big points on this explicit second in time. One is inflation and the opposite one is the issue with provides and logistics, which has a big effect with the uncooked supplies of the completed items. The cruise business has the benefit of economies of scales, which means we purchase loads so have higher shopping for energy. At MSC, we serve 100 million meals a yr, so if it can save you $1 for every meal, it’s some huge cash, and we go these financial savings to prospects. There’s a spike in costs due to inflation. But I feel it is going to at all times be extra worth for cash than every other kind of vacation.
This story was initially revealed April 25, 2022 8:19 PM.
KC Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles celebrate path to Super Bowl
The Chiefs are facing off against the Eagles at Super Bowl LIX. The teams faced off at the 2023 championship, with the Chiefs taking home the trophy.
The Miami Dolphins are hiring special teams coordinator Craig Aukerman, per reports.
Aukerman was special teams coordinator for the Tennessee Titans from 2018-2023.
Advertisement
Aukerman has also coached with the Broncos, Jaguars and Chargers.
Coach Mike McDaniel fired Danny Crossman after three seasons.
The Dolphins’ special teams were ranked by Pro Football Focus as 31st in the NFL this season.
The Titans were ranked 27th last season, but Aukerman was not special teams coordinator.
He had been fired at the end of the 2023 season, after criticism from some fans and media.
Advertisement
Craig Aukerman to replace Danny Crossman with Dolphins
In 2023, the Dolphins ranked 29th and the Titans ranked 8th.
In 2022, the Dolphins ranked 32nd and the Titans ranked 2nd.
NFL draft: Miami Dolphins need a safety. Here are draft prospects they could target.
Advertisement
Reekspeak: Miami Dolphins’ Tyreek Hill wants to ‘fix this’ with more ‘dawgs’
2025 NFL mock draft 1.0: Miami Dolphins address offensive line in Round 1 | Schad
Joe Schad is a journalist covering the Miami Dolphins and the NFL at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and on X @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe’s free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing today.
Cleveland Cavaliers (37-9, first in the Eastern Conference) vs. Miami Heat (23-22, sixth in the Eastern Conference)
Miami; Wednesday, 7:30 p.m. EST
Advertisement
BOTTOM LINE: Miami hosts the Cleveland Cavaliers following the Miami Heat’s 125-119 overtime victory over the Orlando Magic.
The Heat are 13-12 in conference play. Miami is 12-9 when it has fewer turnovers than its opponents and averages 12.6 turnovers per game.
The Cavaliers have gone 24-6 against Eastern Conference opponents. Cleveland ranks sixth in the Eastern Conference giving up just 112.1 points while holding opponents to 46.0% shooting.
The Heat are shooting 45.7% from the field this season, 0.3 percentage points lower than the 46.0% the Cavaliers allow to opponents. The Cavaliers average 11.4 more points per game (121.8) than the Heat give up to opponents (110.4).
TOP PERFORMERS: Tyler Herro is scoring 24.1 points per game with 5.6 rebounds and 5.4 assists for the Heat. Kel’el Ware is averaging 14.4 points and 9.1 rebounds while shooting 54.6% over the past 10 games.
Advertisement
Jarrett Allen is scoring 13.9 points per game and averaging 10.0 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Darius Garland is averaging 26.2 points and 2.4 rebounds over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 5-5, averaging 109.7 points, 45.7 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 6.6 steals and 4.1 blocks per game while shooting 45.9% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.3 points per game.
Cavaliers: 5-5, averaging 118.6 points, 45.6 rebounds, 27.7 assists, 6.7 steals and 4.0 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 116.1 points.
INJURIES: Heat: Dru Smith: out for season (achilles), Josh Richardson: day to day (heel), Jaime Jaquez Jr.: day to day (illness).
Cavaliers: Isaac Okoro: day to day (shoulder), Caris LeVert: day to day (wrist), Dean Wade: out (knee).
Advertisement
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
The University of Miami on Monday announced it will be the second U.S.-based site for Elon Musk’s Neuralink’s PRIME Study.
The PRIME study or Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface, monitors and test the safety and functionality of the Neuralink, which is an implant that allows for a wireless and digital link between a user’s brain and a computer.
Collaborating with the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the Department of Neurological Surgery at UM, the goal of the Neuralink is to help patients with paralysis by allowing them to control connected devices with their thoughts.
“We are very excited about working with the Neuralink team. This announcement is a testament to our multidisciplinary approach for advancing the latest research in neural interfaces and neurorehabilitation,” said W. Dalton Dietrich, Ph.D., scientific director of The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, co-director of the University of Miami Neural Engineering Institute and professor of neurological surgery at the Miller School.
Advertisement
As part of the study, Neuralink’s RI Robot, which is used for precision surgery, will also be evaluated.
The implant procedure will be overseen by Neuralink scientists, neurosurgeons and biomedical engineers at the School of Medicine.
“The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and the University of Miami are renowned for their pioneering research in neural interfaces for the treatment of debilitating neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury and ALS. We look forward to partnering with them as a site for our PRIME Study,” said DJ Seo, co-founder, president and COO at Neuralink.
The study is looking for patients who have limited or no ability to use their hands because they suffered a cervical spinal cord injury or have ALS.
