Oostende

The port and city of Oostende welcomes cruise ship visits and has the infrastructure to support day calls and turnaround business. The cruise-ships berths / quays are adjacent to the railway station: berth no 103, 104 and 105 are especially used to accommodate cruise-ships. A swing-circle of 300m is present in front of the quay. The quay was strengthened and improved in 2000 and has a length of 250m and a water-depth of 8.5m at all states of the tide. The quay is situated in the outer-port, 500m from the open sea and the relevant shipping-lanes, and next to city centre of Oostende, so that cruiseships berth in the middle of the City.

The port and the city of Oostende offer all the right ingredients for a successful cost effective turnaround call for visiting cruise ships: Firstly, there is an easy access to the berths at all states of the tide, no locks, no sailing on narrow inland canals.