HISTORIC APRIL FOR CRUISING AT ABP’S PORT OF SOUTHAMPTON
Associated British Ports’ (ABP) Port of Southampton is in one of the most exciting periods of its commercial history, as it seizes its second heyday as the capital of the UK’s cruising industry.
Over the course of 10 days, which started on April 21, the port – popularly known as the ‘Gateway to the World’ – will have had 26 cruise ships on berth, including such illustrious vessels as Queen Mary 2 and the world’s largest cruise ship, Liberty of the Seas. This period has also seen the naming of Ocean Village 2 and the arrival of Navigator of the Seas on 26 April, which will be based at Southampton throughout the summer. Together, the ships will have a capacity of 77,600 passengers. Other ships due to visit the port include Oriana, Oceana, Aurora, Arcadia, Artemis, Saga Ruby, Saga Rose, Boudicca, Constellation and Sea Princess.
Partly as a consequence of this very busy April, 2007 looks set to be a record-breaking year for the port, with the number of passengers handled likely to exceed 800,000, far more than the annual average in the port’s first heyday in the 1950s.
Doug Morrison, ABP Port Director for the Port of Southampton, said: “The ongoing revival of Southampton’s cruise business is a triumph, not just for us and our partners, but also for the maritime culture of the city of Southampton, and the economy of the whole South-East. Every single passenger makes a meaningful contribution to the regional economy, and this year we are expecting 800,000 of them, more than ever before
“The cruise market has changed a lot over the last 20 years, but Southampton has remained the home of the industry in the UK. This is never more true than now, as this extremely busy period shows. We are working flat out to handle this exceptional number of cruise ships, but it is an honour for the port and city to do so.”
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