The Related British Ports (ABP) has reported the Port of Southampton, situated on the southern coast of England, welcomed a document variety of cruise vessels in Might 2024, marking a excessive level for the beginning of the 2024 cruise season.
The port noticed 26 completely different cruise ships making a complete of 71 calls with greater than 400,000 passengers.
“What a improbable month Might was,” stated Thea George, senior cruise supervisor for ABP. “We’ve had a terrific begin to the 12 months with January to April seeing a rise in cruise calls because the months progress, and our summer season season has began in earnest with a document 71 calls to the port in Might.”
He continued, “It’s nice to see so many passengers come to our metropolis and journey out of the port on a number of the most luxurious cruise ships.”
Southampton’s summer season season kicked off robust, with Cunard Line’s Queen Anne maiden voyage with a lot fanfare on Might 3 and 5 massive ships arriving on the port on Might 18 alone. Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Star, MSC Cruises MSC Virtuosa, P&O Cruises’ Aurora and Iona, and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff every arrived earlier than 7 a.m. They didn’t depart till after 4 p.m., bringing a complete of 24,580 passengers and crew to city on the tremendous Saturday.
That weekend additionally noticed the arrival of Royal Caribbean’s 4,900-passenger Anthem of the Seas, Princess Cruises’ 3,660-passenger Sky Princess and three,140-passenger Caribbean Princess, and NCL’s Norwegian Daybreak, with 2,340 passengers.
Strategic Investments and Volunteer Program Elevate Southampton Port
The Port of Southampton’s success displays its strategic investments, together with its current devoted infrastructure and shore energy initiative. In Might, 20% of cruise ship visits utilized shore energy, lowering emissions and advancing the port towards reaching zero emissions whereas ships are docked.
The favored homeport additionally joined forces this 12 months with GO! Southampton, which launched a brand new Welcome Volunteer Program that stations volunteers on the port’s 5 cruise terminals to information passengers and assist them profit from their go to.
Stated Stephen Manion, managing director at GO! Southampton, “It’s superb to see so many cruise passengers arrive within the metropolis, and now now we have a terrific initiative to verify they’re supported throughout their keep and may see one of the best of the Metropolis Centre.”
Devoted cruise terminals on the port embody Metropolis Cruise Terminal, the oldest of the terminals, typically utilized by British-operated Fred Olsen Cruise Traces and Movie star Cruises, and the Horizon Cruise Terminal, the place Norwegian Cruise Line and Oceania Cruises depart.
Carnival Company, which owns Movie star Cruises, owns the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal for P&O Cruises and Cunard Cruise Line. It additionally makes use of the Mayflower and Ocean terminals for its Princess Cruises, Cunard, and P&O Cruises manufacturers.
Learn Additionally: UK Cruise Tourism Celebrates Exceptional Rebound
The document variety of cruise ship visits in Might is a big enhance for the native economic system. In 2023, the port welcomed 2.75 million passengers, producing over £1 billion for town. The port is on monitor to surpass these figures in 2024, as practically 1 million cruise passengers have already visited the port in 2024.
The Port of Southampton will obtain 59 ship calls in June and 221 further calls by way of October. Nevertheless, the port isn’t anticipated to interrupt Might’s document once more in 2024. Princess Cruises’ Sky Princess is the following ship to return to Southampton on June 15.
