cruises as
of getting awayu
"The cruise
ship industry is
an opportunity
to introduce
Heineken
innovations"
GROWING INDUSTRY
Around 12 major cruise lines operate globally,
with fleets that vary from two vessels up to
25. "Carnival Cruises is the largest cruise line
in the world, operating under several brands
including Carnival, Aida, Costa, and the
Holland American Line," says llco. "It is closely
followed by Royal Caribbean, another major
group that we are associated with, that also
runs the Celebrity brand."
Passenger numbers range from just 1,000
on the smaller vessels, to an ever increasing
number on the other end of the scale. "There
is currently a ship under construction that will
carry 5,500 passengers in 2009, reflecting
the fact that the industry is growing fast." This
growth is certainly set to impact Heineken.
The company's annual sales to the cruise
industry already amount to between 55,000
and 60,000 hectolitres.
Traditionally, cruise lines have preferred
canned and bottled beer to draught, mainly
because cans and bottles can be recycled
onboard, while empty draught kegs take up
quite a lot of space. In terms of volume, this
means that the average liner carries 60 per
cent of its beer stock in non-returnable packs,
and 40 per cent as draught, although a lot
depends on the individual ship.
NEW BRANDS
"We recently launched Heineken Premium
Light, currently only available in the US
market, on the Royal Caribbean ships," says
llco. "Retrofitting draught beer installations
can be difficult on even the largest ships,
but close cooperation with the lines allows
us to be involved when new ships are being
built. We are currently working on the
Independence of the Seas, which is a new
build. There, we have the opportunity to
45
World of Heineken 38 - summer 2008
