ABP SOUTHAMPTON WELCOMES NCL IN CONTINUED CRUISE BOOM
The Port of Southampton, owned and operated by Associated British Ports (ABP), today sees the arrival of Norwegian Cruise Line’s (NCL) Norwegian Jade, making NCL the latest major international cruise company to sail directly from the cruise capital of Northern Europe.
Southampton’s cruise business has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, with 289 cruise calls and well over 900,000 passengers expected in 2008. This year has already seen such high-profile occasions as the historic meeting of Cunard’s ‘three queens’ (Queen Victoria, QM2 and QE2) as well as the namings of P&O’s Ventura and Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas.
The arrival of Norwegian Jade also coincides with the construction of the port’s fourth cruise terminal, built on the back of a 20-year contract with Carnival UK and representing £19m of investment from ABP.
"We are very excited to be welcoming NCL to Southampton," said Doug Morrison, ABP Port Director, Southampton. "The cruise industry is booming and ABP Southampton is, by a long stretch, the UK’s leading turnaround cruise port.
"Each cruise line operating out of Southampton offers a slightly different approach to cruising, representing a broad range of cruise styles available to suit passengers differing tastes and ages. We now have all the ‘big three’ cruise companies operating out of Southampton, which is terrific news."
"We are really thrilled to be launching Norwegian Jade," said Stephen Park, UK Managing Director, NCL. "Her arrival marks the latest incarnation of NCL’s Freestyle concept, which is bringing in a glamorous and exciting range of new facilities including a bubbly welcome, upgraded staterooms with new bathroom amenities, and a wider range of kids’ facilities such as Xbox consoles for those hard-to-please teens and ‘White Hot’ evening entertainment."
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