11 August 2023
Portsmouth International Port are delighted to announce Andrew Williamson as their new head of cruise and ferry.
Following the port’s exceptional growth over the last few years and solidifying Portsmouth’s place in the international cruise market, Andrew’s previous role as passenger operations manager has made a natural progression into a more strategic overview of cruise and ferry.
Andrew said: “I am very excited to take this next step in my role at Portsmouth International Port, as we open our new carbon neutral terminal extension, a major milestone in our ambitions.
“The ongoing investment in the infrastructure across the port has allowed us to quickly develop our future plans, welcoming brand new cruise lines, boutique ships and cementing our existing customer relationships. We will continue to offer the best experience for all our passengers and work in partnership with customers to provide a distinctly sustainable focus to how we operate.
Our commitment to our ferry customers is also key to our future as we look forward to welcoming Condor Ferries ‘Condor Islander’ into service later this year, and Brittany Ferries’ hybrid ships ‘Saint-Malo’ and ‘Guillaume de Normandie in 2025.”
The port’s main partner, Brittany Ferries, is currently undergoing the biggest ship renewal programme in their 50 year history, with new hybrid vessels Galicia and Salamanca already operating out of Portsmouth.
Mike Sellers, Portsmouth International Port’s director said: “The future is looking very positive for the port, and Andrew’s work on developing our cruise and ferry relations has been key to ensuring this. With so much going on, I’m sure he will be kept very busy in his new role.”
The terminal extension, made possible through government Levelling Up Funding, will open later this month and create capacity to manage an anticipated additional 250,000 passengers a year and is run environmentally through innovative seawater heating and cooling systems.
Andrew’s passion for the maritime industry has evolved from a career spent at sea, starting off as a cadet onboard a number of luxury cruise lines including Windstar & Silversea, before moving ashore into operational planning at Condor Ferries and Carnival UK. He joined the Portsmouth team in 2015 and has now become a key part of the senior management team.
“I am a keen advocate for travelling by sea – with my own holiday plans usually revolving around ferry travel and cruising!
We want all our passengers to have a great experience both starting or ending their journey with us, and the whole Portsmouth team add to that with the pride they take in the port. It is the support we give to each other which makes the whole operation a success, at such an exciting stage of our development.”