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This article was first published in the Itinerary Planning Special Report 2017. All information was correct at the time of printing, but may since have changed.
Portland Port lies in the sweep of Weymouth Bay and at the centre of the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast, an area renowned for its natural beauty and historical heritage.
In 2007 the port had just three cruise calls but, ten years later, following the arrival of general manager Ian McQuade, 25 cruise ships are scheduled to call in what will be a record-breaking year for the port.
The port isn’t resting on its laurels. In order to keep pace with the ever-increasing size of cruise ships, Portland Port has undertaken a major extension of the main cruise berth, the Outer Coaling Pier. The extension was the result of several years of careful planning and was opened by Richard Drax, MP for South Dorset, in a ceremony on 11 April 2017.
The £3 million (US$3.85 million) extension works were carried out by marine construction specialists Red 7 Marine, TMS and CMP Thames who joined forces to deliver the project. The design involved building two dolphins, 90 metres apart. Each dolphin consists of a 1,200-tonne reinforced concrete platform set on seven, 1.5-metre diameter steel piles driven into the sea bed, with a suite of six 150-tonne bollards. The dolphins are linked by walkways and are positioned to support ships being moored on the port’s two main berths.
The finished extension allows for vessels up to 340 metres in length to berth at Portland Port, making it one of only a few ports on the English Channel with the capability to handle vessels of this size.
McQuade said: “The extension of our main cruise berth is a key investment and demonstrates our commitment to improving facilities at the port for our cruise line customers. Our cruise business has grown significantly over the last ten years and this extension will enable us to grow further by attracting ships that previously weren’t able to dock at Portland.”
Holland America Line’s Koningsdam was the first vessel to use the new, extended facility when she made a return visit to Portland Port on 11 May, closely followed by Disney Magic on 23 May, Norwegian Jade on 24 May and Mein Schiff 4 on 10 June.
All the ships to use the extension have commented on how good the new, extended facility is, greatly enhancing the mooring arrangements for larger vessels. When combined with Portland Port’s unique position at the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast, allowing for easy access to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Stonehenge and Bath, as well as all that Dorset and the surrounding area have to offer, cruise lines now have an exciting new option when cruising through the English Channel.