Page 12 - Port of Baltimore - December 2021

PORT SOUNDINGS CRUISES
Port Welcomes Back
Royal Caribbean Cruises
Just in time for Christmas, the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line set sail for its first cruise from Maryland since the cruise industry-wide COVID-19 pause in operations ended earlier this year. Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas departed Dec. 23 on an eight- night cruise to The Bahamas, also visiting the cruise line’s famous private island, Coco Cay.
“The return of Royal Caribbean tothePortofBaltimorewasagreat way to celebrate the holiday season!” said William P. Doyle, Executive
Director of the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Port Administration (MDOT MPA). “People love to cruise from Baltimore for so many reasons, starting with our location. Our cruise terminal is directly off Interstate
95, and BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport
is only 15 minutes away. We’re located right alongside Baltimore’s world-famous Inner Harbor, as well as Federal Hill, Fort McHenry and Fells Point, with plenty of sightseeing,diningandshoppingoptions.”
Royal Caribbean Cruise Line has sailed from Baltimore since 2004. It
began offering year-round sailings from Charm City in 2010. The Enchantment of the Seas ship replaces Baltimore’s former Royal Caribbean ship, the Grandeur of the Seas.
Royal Caribbean offers a wide array of cruise options from Baltimore, including:
11- and 12-night sailings to the Caribbean
Seven-,eight-andnine-night voyages to Bermuda, The Bahamas, Canada and New England
NEWSMAKERS
MITAGS Wins Ventus Award for
OFFSHORE WIND SIMULATION PROJECT
holistic and cost-effective experience
has allowed Ørsted to facilitate important discussions about navigation safety with the United States Coast Guard, professional mariners and the commercial fishing industry. The project continues today.
“As a developer, stakeholder engage- ment is paramount to the successful development of projects,” said Liz Kretovic, Mid-Atlantic Marine Affairs Manager for Ørsted Offshore North America. “MITAGS has made our vision a reality through its navigation simulator, which allows the user to conceptualize the magnitude and layout of the wind farm, resulting in a clearer under- standing of the project rather than simply looking over charts and drawings on paper.”
The Advancement in Project Siting
& Development award was given to an individual, team or company that developed a technology, process or demonstrated immense effort and collaboration to advance or improve offshore wind project development risk, cycle or timeline. All categories were voted on by Business Network board members, an Awards Committee and other jurors.
“The full-mission ship simulation by the Maritime Institute of Technology & Graduate Studies is an exciting innova- tion,” said Liz Burdock, President and CEO of the Business Network for Offshore Wind. “Its ability to simulate navigation through
The Maritime Institute of Technology
and Graduate Studies (MITAGS) was named a winner of The Business Network for Offshore Wind’s Ventus Award
for Advancement in Project Siting & Development. The award recognized
its wind farm and full-mission ship simulations for stakeholder engagement with Ørsted Offshore North America.
Beginning in 2019, MITAGS used Ørsted’s simulation technology to create exact models of the company’s Ocean Wind and Revolution Wind offshore wind farms. This provided a platform for Ørsted to engage its stakeholders via the bridge of various size- simulated vessels while navigating through a utility-scale wind farm in differing sea states, weather conditions and visibility. This unique,
[10] The Port of Baltimore ■ December 2021
PHOTOS COURTESY OF MITAGS