By
Amber Hickman |
Cruise Gate Hamburg (CGH) in Germany welcomed a record 280 ship calls in 2022, surpassing pre-pandemic levels which hit a high of 210 ship visits in 2019.
In total, 49 ships from 20 different cruise lines visited the Port of Hamburg and highlights of the season included one christening, 10 maiden calls and 41 calls by river cruise ships. The port also hosted roughly 750,000 passengers.
“We are very happy about the high demand for cruises departing from Hamburg,” said Simone Maraschi, managing director of CGH. “For us it is proof that the enormous efforts and the adaptability demonstrated by the entire industry during the Covid-19 pandemic are truly appreciated.”
CGH expects to beat this record again over the next year, with an anticipated 283 calls already booked, plus an additional 37 from river cruise ships . The port will host eight maiden calls, including two from new cruise brands – Albatros Expeditions’ Ocean Albatros and Explora Journeys’ Explora I.
Hamburg is also making progress towards achieving its sustainability goals. This year, 30 ships connected to onshore electricity supplied by the power station at the Altona cruise terminal. Four vessels carried out integration tests and 12 will undergo this process in 2023. Once tests are complete, ships can be fully certified to use the shore power station when docked at the port. The port plans to electrify all permanent terminals by 2040.
“Ports play a crucial role in decarbonisation and keeping the air clean,” said Jens Meier, CEO of the Hamburg Port Authority AöR. “Shoreside electricity enables us to significantly reduce ships’ emissions while they are docking at the Port of Hamburg. We are looking forward to being one of Europe’s first ports to offer both cruise ships and container vessels shore-based power at the berth in 2025.”