Holland America Line's newest cruise ship, the Koningsdam, made its inaugural call to Portland Port recently.
The 99,500 gross ton, 2,650-passenger cruise ship departed from Italy on her maiden voyage in April of this year. She is the largest cruise ship to call at the port to date.
Ian McQuade, General Manager (Commercial) for Portland Port, commented: “It is exciting that Holland America’s newest flagship chose to call at Portland Port during her first year of operation and shows that the port’s cruise business is gaining momentum.”
The 2016 cruise season is nearly at an end for Portland Port, however the port is already eagerly anticipating the 2017 season when the Koningsdam will be visiting twice more. The excitement is enhanced by the imminent start of building works for the eagerly awaited cruise berth extension. The seabed surveys have been completed and the works are scheduled to begin in October, with completion anticipated in good time for the start of the 2017 season.
Portland is one of just three ports on the south coast of the UK that can already handle vessels up to 300m LOA alongside. The new facility will further strengthen the ports position by increasing this capability to berth vessels in excess of 340m LOA alongside. The extension will boast a new suite of mooring bollards, high capacity pneumatic floating fenders and a minimum water depth of 9.6m CD.
Ian McQuade, General Manager – Commercial, at Portland Port commented: “We are lucky to have minimum water depths of 9.6m on our main cruise berth, now with the berth extension we will be able handle ships in excess of 340m LOA, putting us in a very unique group of ports along the English Channel. When we add this to our proximity to the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Stonehenge, Bath and the Jurassic Coast, along with easy access to the many attractions of the beautiful English countryside, we feel we will be very well positioned to continue to serve an ever increasing range of cruise line customers."
The cruise berth extension and the arrival of cruise line flagships like Koningsdam and Mein Schiff 5 are good indicators for the future of Portland Port and its cruise programme.
As the cruise ships sailing the world continue to grow in size, the new cruise berth will allow Portland to accommodate some of the biggest cruise ships in operation.
