EMEA News
GAC Eyes Growth Opportunities in the Cruise Market
GAC UK this week said it is eyeing growth in the UK cruise sector, and has hired industry veteran Fergus Poole as Cruise Manager to boost its services for the industry.
Poole, who for nearly two decades has held managerial and operations posts dedicated to serving cruise and passenger vessels, most recently for services at UK and Irish ports, is based in Sunderland, from where he will coordinate cruise calls at ports nationwide.
"We're in a great position to grow and enhance our support for the cruise sector, as we already have the port and agent infrastructure well established around the country," he said.
"Further, we have a wide range of frontline expertise available, both in port operations and in niche sectors like bunker fuels, marine leisure and superyachts.
"We are working those synergies to provide an integrated service package for our cruise customers that frees them of the burden of looking after the details and allows them to focus on delivering a memorable trip for their passengers."
GAC notes that Scottish stopovers like Edinburgh, Kirkwall, Invergordon and ports along the UK's western coast have become popular choices for cruise companies seeking an alternative to more traditional destinations for their passengers.
Poole foresees further development of the GAC cruise portfolio to include shore expeditions and other related services.
Last month GAC Bunker Fuels hired Colin Holloway as global trading manager at its Dubai office in order to manage the company's growing team of ISO 9001-certified GAC Bunker Fuels around the world.
