The inauguration ceremony, which started today at 11.00, was presided over by James J. White, Executive Director of the Maryland Port Administration and Beverley Swaim-Staley, Secretary of Transportation of the State of Maryland. TEAM’s Vice President Jordi Floreta, TEAM’s USA Project Director Don Mesecher and TEAM’s Project Engineer Alex Sivila whom all attended the ceremony, were recognized for the on-time delivery of a PBB which design provides maximum flexibility to accommodate various vessel door heights, vessel placement longitudinally along the pier, and clear-span working area under the PBB. TEAM was contracted for the design and delivery of a mobile PBB in July 2010 by the Maryland Port Administration after winning a competitive tender process.
The KRONUS with Mobile Walkway Module is an innovative mobile Passenger Boarding Bridge that has been uniquely designed for the Port of Baltimore. This air-conditioned and ADA (Americans With Disabilities) compliant PBB enables a comfortable embarkation of cruise guests from quay level to the cruise ship and vice versa. The Mobile Walkway Module is composed of fixed ramps in enclosed tunnels sections and is connected with the three telescopic tunnels of the KRONUS via a Rotunda, a unique invention that has been filed for patent by TEAM. The KRONUS is furthermore supported by a gantry equipped with motorized wheels that allow radial and linear movement. The gantry’s main function is to ensure electro-mechanical elevation and for the sophisticated docking cabin to reach the required service heights of the variety of cruise ships sailing from Baltimore.
In 2011 the Port of Baltimore will have a record of 112 cruises served by the Carnival Pride and Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas. The Carnival Pride will sail to the Bahamas, Bermuda and the Caribbean while Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas sails to New England/Canada, the Bahamas, Bermuda, and the Caribbean. In 2010, a record 210,549 people sailed on a then-record 91 cruises from the Cruise Maryland Terminal.
In the USA, TEAM has installed a total of 13 PBBs at cruise terminals of the following ports: Baltimore, Miami, New York, Mobile, Norfolk, San Diego and San Juan.