Richard Bastow, Director, Cruise and Maritime Services International Ltd
Cruise Ship Charters
Richard entered the passenger shipping industry as a cruise reservations clerk in 1973 with Sea Travel Centres, the London sales & marketing outlet for Shaw Savill Line and Royal Mail Lines. A spell followed at Chandris Cruises before he joined the new passenger office of CTC Lines, which chartered Soviet vessels to operate cruise programmes and also line voyages between the UK and Australia & New Zealand. He steadily progressed through the ranks into a senior management position with the company in London. He was appointed to the board in 1988 and served as Managing Director from 1992 until 1995.
In May 1996 he teamed up with Chris Coates to establish Cruise & Maritime Services in Dartford, Kent. The initial business plan was to provide UK representation for cruise lines or operators that did not have a presence in the United Kingdom; however opportunities developed to act as charter brokers for such shipowners and until 2002, the company chartered a number of vessels to a range of UK and European tour operators.
From 2003 until 2007, Cruise & Maritime reverted to its original plan and represented overseas cruise operators such as Classic International Cruises of Portugal, Cyprus-based Louis cruises and Transocean Tours of Bremen in the UK and programmed successful seasons of UK-UK cruises. Business flourished and when the opportunity arose for the company to charter its own vessels it launched its own cruise brand ‘Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ and in 2010, the 22,080 grt Marco Polo and the 17,593grt Ocean Countess sail from a range of UK ports under the CMV flag.
Richard has represented his companies at the industry’s trade body, the Passenger Shipping Association since 1988 and has served a three year term as a member of the Council of Management and, as chairman of the PSA Public Relations Committee, directed the launch of the first ever generic cruise campaign aimed at the consumer. He has a sound knowledge of the worldwide cruise industry, both from an operational and sales perspective, and has developed an extensive range of global contacts with shipowners, cruise operators, ship managers and associated industry concerns. His career has encompassed all aspects of the cruise business in the UK, and this background has been invaluable in helping to firmly establish Cruise & Maritime Voyages as a progressive and innovative force within its sector of the industry.