29 May 2018
The start of Portland Port’s cruise season has been a spectacular one; the first ship was the 20th visit by a Phoenix Reisen vessel. They are the first cruise line to reach this milestone at Portland Port so to commemorate such a momentous occasion, the port commissioned a special hand-carved Portland stone plaque that was presented to the cruise line.
This was followed by the arrival of the enormous Norwegian Breakaway that docked at the port on 25th April. It was not only the Norwegian Breakaway’s inaugural call to Portland Port, but she is also the largest ship to ever call at Portland Port.
Norwegian Cruise Line has a 50-year history in the cruise business and was responsible for introducing Freestyle Cruising that revolutionised the industry by giving guests the freedom and flexibility to design their ideal cruise holiday. They currently operate 16 purpose-built Freestyle Cruising ships which includes some of the newest and most contemporary ships at sea.
The arrival of the Norwegian Breakaway marks an exciting point in the development of the port’s cruise business; she is the longest and heaviest vessel to ever dock at Portland Port and brought with her the greatest number of passengers on one ship that the port has dealt with to date. The ship can accommodate in excess of 4,000 passengers on board and the port was pleased to welcome them to Portland and hoped that the passengers and crew enjoyed the time they spent in Dorset and surrounding area.
Ian McQuade, said “The inaugural call of the Norwegian Breakaway is very exciting for the port and would not have been possible without the berth extension that was opened in April last year. We hope that she will be the first of many similar sized cruise ships to visit Portland Port.”
Portland Port’s 2018 cruise season is going to be another record breaker with the greatest number of cruise calls and passengers to date. Overall the port is expecting to handle 32 cruise ships bringing nearly 39,000 passengers into Portland. Over the last 10 years the numbers have grown substantially from just 4 calls and 2,000 passengers in 2009 to the record breaking figures for 2018. This is a trend that Portland Port is keen to see continue.