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Rio de Janeiro's Pier Mauá gearing up for 2015/16 season and Olympics

Rio de Janeiro's Pier Mauá gearing up for 2015/16 season and Olympics
Rio de Janeiro’s International Cruise Terminal, operated by Pier Mauá, is gearing up to welcome a first time visit next year by Norwegian Getaway, scheduled to be alongside for the Olympic Games, running from August 5-21, 2016.

Seatrade Insider understands there may be at least one more cruise ship joining Norwegian Getaway for dockside housing but negotiations between the line and charterer are ongoing.

Pier Mauá’s 7-km quay is an important element of the urban revitalization project known as Porto Maravilha, aimed at preparing the city for the Olympic Games.

Before the Olympics commence Pier Mauá will welcome visiting ships for the 2015/16 season. Among lines confirmed are Celebrity, Costa Crociere, MSC Cruises, Royal Caribbean International and Pullmantur.

‘Our forecast for next season is 10% growth,’ says Américo Rocha, Pier Mauá’s chief operations officer.

Helio Szmajser, head of Rio’s Port Authority and president of Cia. Docas do Rio de Janeiro, says Pier Mauá is totally prepared for the next cruise season, and for the Olympics, as well.

Last February Pier Mauá saw the simultaneous berthing of eight cruise ships, during Carnival.

Pier Mauá’s facilities rated high in two important inspections he confirmed: one carried out by the Brazilian Olympic Committee and another by the American government, in a joint operation with Brazil’s Federal Police Dept.

‘We’ve been working on our own Olympic operation for the last three years,’ says Rocha.

In both inspections, we were classed ready to operate during the Olympic Games. New equipment, such as X-ray machines, and metal detectors for stored and hand luggage are being implemented, as well as security camera systems. Pier Mauá will also double its safety personnel to tend to the Olympic operation in 2016.

Since 1998 when Pier Maua was granted a concession contract to manage Rio de Janeiro’s International Cruise Terminal comprising a series of former port warehouses, four of  the buildings have had their façades brought back to their original aspect and fitted with air-conditioning inside.

Pier Mauá’s Terminal is within walking distance of the the city center, including the new Museu de Arte do Rio (Rio’s Museum of Art) and the Museum of Tomorrow, to be inaugurated in 2016.

The construction of a new cruise terminal, a long-cherished goal, says Rocha, is expected to start shortly. ‘The new cruise terminal will be quite a change and a huge benefit for all users,’ he added.