Swedish Maritime Administration lifts previous ban on vessels longer than 240 metres
By
Rebecca Gibson |
The Swedish Maritime Administration has given Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) permission to berth cruise ships longer than 240 metres in Malmö.
The maritime authority has lifted a previous restriction on larger cruise ships following a series of simulated dockings carried out in different weather conditions in Gothenburg, Sweden last year. The tests concluded that the port would be able to manoeuvre visiting ships at a speed of 3 knots and with a side wind of 10 miles per second (m/s), without the assistance of pilot boats. However, the wind restriction set for the ships’ maiden visits is 8 m/s.
“The fact that CMP has been given the go-ahead from the Swedish Maritime Administration to receive ships of up to 300 metres creates entirely new conditions for the cruise operation here in Malmö,” said Arnt Moller Pedersen, head of cruise traffic at CMP. “It is an important decision both for us and for the city of Malmö, as larger ships bring with them more people. We already have 10 arrivals booked for the 2018 cruise season, which represents over 10,000 passengers.”
CMP’s 2017 season started on 15 April with a call from AIDA Cruises’ AIDAcara. Before the season closes on 22 October, 72 ships from 35 lines will make a total of 323 calls – including 151 turnarounds – at CMP this year, marking a 15% rise from 2016 when the port handled 311 ship visits. Eight newbuilds will call for the first time, while 55 ships will arrive carrying more than 4,000 passengers each. CMP expects this will attract 850,000 passengers, an all-time high.
The busiest days will be 3 June when four large vessels will bring a total of 22,000 guests to the port, and 12 August when six ships will arrive with the same number of people. CMP also has four cruises planned during the Christmas holidays.