Union Jack

Belfast

  • Titanic Slipways
    Titanic Slipways
  • The Giants Causeway
    The Giants Causeway
  • Hillsborough Castle
    Hillsborough Castle
  • Titanic Belfast
    Titanic Belfast

A port for everyone

Belfast is a city with a unique character and history that sets it apart from other cruise destinations. Since the first cruise ship arrival in 1996, Belfast has seen unprecedented growth in both cruise calls and visitor numbers. We combine our heritage with a legendary welcome and a sense of humour, which ensures cruise visitors enjoy their stay with us.

An award-winning cruise destination, Belfast is now widely regarded as one of the UK and Ireland’s most vibrant and exciting city destinations, full of unique visitor attractions and friendly faces. There is so much for visitors to explore in the incredible city whose innovation, passion and pride gave birth to RMS Titanic and many other great ships. From castles towering high above the lough to tranquil canal towpaths by beautiful parks, Belfast has a myriad of wonderful experiences to enthrall visitors.

From just two cruise calls in 1996 to 148 calls in 2019 with 285,000 cruise visitors, Belfast is now the third most popular destination in the UK and Ireland for one-day cruise ship calls after Dublin and Orkney. It’s against this backdrop that Belfast Harbour opened the island’s first dedicated cruise terminal in May 2019

Belfast Harbour has invested more than £500,000 to upgrade the quayside, which now includes a Visitor Information Centre managed by our partners, Visit Belfast. Staffed by Visit Belfast’s travel advisors the new terminal utilises the latest digital and audio-visual technology to showcase Belfast and Northern Ireland’s visitor attractions.

The newly developed site also includes ample space to service the shore side activities associated with cruise ships – coaches, shuttle buses and taxis – and a berth which has been dredged to accommodate the next generation of larger cruise ships. The terminal allows passengers to quickly connect to Belfast city centre or join one of the many organised excursions to visitor attractions such as the Giant’s Causeway, Hillsborough Castle, Mount Stewart and Titanic Belfast.

Top Five Facts about Belfast

  1. Belfast Harbour is made up of Belfast Port and the 2,000 acre Harbour Estate which is home to more than 760 businesses with 27,000 people who come to either work or study every day, we welcome 5 million visitors annually.
  2. Included in our strategic vision to 2035 is our ambition to become the world’s best regional port.
  3. In 1998 the Good Friday agreement was signed which marked the end of the Troubles. Since then, Belfast has completely changed. It went from being a hurt city to becoming an awesome technology hub. Nowadays Belfast is a vibrant and welcoming city.
  4. HBO’s Game of Throne studios are in Belfast and a lot of the filming locations for the hit TV show are dotted around Northern Ireland, including the North Wall & the Dark Hedges.
  5. The Titanic was built in Belfast – “She was fine when she left here”
Port information
Passenger Facilities
Contacts & Further Info
Time zone:

GMT

Operational hrs:

24 hrs

Berth Enquiries / Reservations:

Via Ship’s Agent

Lat & Long:

54.6172° N, 5.9063° W

Prevailing weather:

South Westerly

Anchorage position:

Bangor Bay

Distance to landing stage in nm :

10nm

Berth information:

D1 Cruise Berth, 480 Metres

Vessel length:

360m (>330m to individually risk assessed)

Vessel width:

Max Beam 55 metres

Air draft restrictions:

No restrictions

Vessel draft:

10.1m

Depth on berth:

10.2m

Largest ship to call:

MSC Virtuosa

VTS channel:

Channel 12

Max ship dimensions:

360m (>330m to individually risk assessed)

Pilotage:

Complusory

Tugboat:

Available on request, vessels individually assessed

Security facilities:

Fully compliant with ISPS regulations

Gangway:

12m, 17m, 25m and raised platform all available on request

Fresh water:

Available at berth

Power supply:

Vessel’s own

Fuel supply:

Truck or barge

Hot works/painting/lifeboats:

All available alongside with permit requested via agent to Harbour Masters

Waste handling:

Available alongside with pre-advised quantities advised to agent prior to arrival

Cruise terminal building:

New terminal building opened in 2019 , first dedicated cruise terminal on the island of Ireland, includes visitor information centre & gift shop.

Currency exchange:

Available in city centre

Internet access:

Yes

Telephones:

Available in city centre

Mailbox:

Ships agent can post mail

Taxi rank:

Yes

Distance to Railway Station:

2.5 miles / 4 km

Distance to airport:

3.7 miles / 6 km

Banks/ATM:

In City Centre (5 miles / 8 km)

Restaurant / cafe:

In City Centre (5 miles / 8 km)

Contact:

Gary Hall, Commercial Executive

Tel:

00 44 (0)2890 554422
00 44 (0)7766 902630

Address:

Harbour Office, Corporation Square, Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, BT1 3AL

Further visitor info:

Ruth Flynn, Leisure Trade Sales Manager, Visit Belfast
RuthFlynn@visitbelfast.com

Experience Belfast