On May 23 the eighth cruise call of the season, Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Marco Polo, arrived Tyne’s Northumbrian Quay, Newcastle. 

Over 800 passengers embarked on a 14-night cruise departing the port for the highlands and islands of the British Isles. 

Passenger numbers to Rostock were the highest yet this year at 350,000.

Visby has plans to build a new 150m-long quay south of the port with a depth of 11.5m.

Oceania Cruises called at Lorient for the first time this year with both Insignia and Regatta.

Lerwick Port Authority is investing £85,000 (E102,817) in a new welcome ashore pavilion for meeting and greeting cruise passengers.

Szczecin is expecting 12 calls this year compared to three in 2009 with passenger numbers at 7,300, up on 1,439 lastyear.

Amsterdam and IJmuiden played host to Cruise Europe’s annual general assembly last week.

Calls to Torshavn in the Faroe Islands in 2010 number 47 compared to 45 last year.

Flam is placing more emphasis on family activities in order to hold on to the bigger ships, says Sivert Bakk manager port operations Port of Flam.