Despite the 0.1% sulphur limit kicking in in 2015, Bergen already has 54 calls booked from AIDA Cruises that year which is good news for the Norwegian port situated as it is within the ECA.
For 2014 169 calls are booked already and for this year 332 are expected which is 10 up on 2012. “I think we will stay at about 330 calls because we have most of the ships sailing in Northern Europe,” said Helen Hovland, marketing manager Port of Bergen.
Submitted by CE-Press on 17 December 2012 - 6:16pm
Today Fred Olsen Cruise Lines’ Balmoral called Oslo on a Christmas cruise with P&O Cruises’ Oriana docking the week before (see photo).
Margrethe Austad, marketing manager cruise Port of Oslo, commented that the latter found the cruise easy to sell. While snow cannot be guaranteed, last year the port together with Oslo Cruise Network arranged for Santa Claus to be at the pier along with musicians.
This year there were 166 calls in total, 10 having been rerouted elsewhere due to the pilots’ strike earlier in the year.
Copenhagen set a new record this year with 376 calls and 840,000 visiting passengers as well as 230,000 crew members.
It also received the award for ‘Europe’s leading cruise port’ at the World Travel Awards for the fifth time this year, having won also in 2005, 2008, 2010 and last year.
Arnt Moller Pedersen, chief executive officer cruise and ferries CMP, attributed the success to the dedication of the employees at CMP and the cooperation with the Cruise Copenhagen Network.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises has chosen Antwerp to host its ‘Europa's Best’ culinary event for the third time.
The port is expecting 29 calls this year with ships spending a total of 44 days in port due to overnights from ships such as Hapag-Lloyd’s Europa and Azamara Club Cruises’ Azamara Journey with Explorer from Semester at Sea staying for six days.
MSC Cruises and Cruise & Maritime Voyages are calling the Belgian port for the first time this year with MSC Lirica and Marco Polo (pictured) respectively.
On June 2 the Norwegian pilots’ strike ended following agreement being reached on wage increases. The strike resulted in seven extra calls and 20,000 passengers for Gothenburg, all having been diverted from Oslo.
Five calls were transit bringing 12,000 passengers. Costa Cruises came for the first time and Royal Caribbean International’s Vision of the Seas turned around for the first time although having visited on a transit call previously.
Invergordon was singled out for the maiden voyage of newbuilding AIDA Cruises’ 71,304gt AIDAmar following her delivery from Meyer Werft. She was christened in Hamburg and her maiden voyage includes calls at Le Havre, Dover, Zeebrugge, Bergen, Eidfjord and Stavanger.
The cruiseship arrived at the Cromarty Firth port on May 18 carrying 2,214 passengers. She is the fourth cruiseship visit in a season which is expected to see 64 calls and over 75,000 passengers.
Antwerp began the season on March 28 with the arrival of AIDA Cruises’ AIDAluna. The Belgian port is expecting 40,000 passengers this year on 29 calls compared to 35,000 on 30 calls in 2011.
There will be six ships calling for the first time this year, including MSC Cruises’ MSC Lirica, Windstar Cruises' Wind Surf, Star Clippers’ Star Flyer and Phoenix Reisen’s Amadea and Albatros. There will also be repeaters, such as AIDA Cruises, which has chosen to call the Belgian port for more than three years, according to Kattina Glasinovich, cruise manager Antwerp Cruise Port.
The main pier at Torshavn has been dredged so that ships up to 300m long and with 9.8m depth can come alongside, with the use of pneumatic fenders.
In addition the port has invested in a new tourist information booth next to the cruise terminal which will be an important part of the newly established network, Cruise Torshavn. This network includes the port, the tourist information office, shops, museums/activitiies, shipping agents and shore excursion operators.
Submitted by CE-Press on 22 February 2012 - 10:13am
Costa Cruises has cancelled two of the 31 calls booked to Oslo this year due to Costa Magica being repositioned to the Mediterranean to fulfill Costa Concordia’s schedule.
The switch has resulted in Bergen losing eight calls, Geiranger seven, Stavanger five and North Cape two calls.
Nevertheless, Oslo is expecting 177 calls from 53 cruiseships carrying 318,000 passengers this season. Of the total number of calls, 13 are in the low season and for these Oslo Port Authority gives discount.
