By
Rebecca Gibson |
Hamburg in Germany is to welcome 160 cruise calls and a record number of passengers in 2016.
Starting on 8 January with a double call from Cunard Line’s Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, Hamburg’s 2016 season will see the German city welcome 33 different ships during 160 calls, four more than in 2015. This will bring passenger numbers to around 661,000, a rise of 26% from the 525,000 cruise guests who passed through the port in 2015.
“The strong growth – up by 26% – is attributable to the fact that in 2016 we will have more calls by higher-capacity liners than has been the case to date,” said Sacha Rougier, managing director of Cruise Gate Hamburg, which operates the three terminals.
Next year, Hamburg’s three cruise terminals will handle 26 double calls, six triple visits, one quadruple and one quintuple call before closing with another double call from P&O Cruises’ Arcadia and AIDA Cruises’ AIDAprima on 31 December.
Several vessels will make inaugural visits including Maritime Holdings Group’s Ocean Dream, Oceania Cruises’ Marina and Princess Cruises’ Caribbean Princess. The new AIDAprima will also debut in Hamburg on 30 April and become the most frequent caller, sailing 39 weekly departures to various European capital cities.
“Never before has a cruise vessel called at the Hanseatic City as frequently in a single year,” said Rougier.
Other AIDA Cruises’ AIDAsol and MSC Cruises’ MSC Splendida, which will make 24 and 16 calls respectively. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises, Cunard Line and Phoenix Reisen will also make multiple visits.
Hamburg’s 2015 season will close with a call from P&O Cruises’ Aurora on 31 December after welcoming an estimated 525,000 guests and 156 calls.
Highlights of 2015 have included the opening of the third cruise terminal at Steinwerder; the commissioning of the power barge Hummel, which will supply visiting vessels with LNG fuel; and the first-ever cruise week featuring the Cruise Days and the Seatrade Europe event in September. On 23 October, Hamburg will host a maiden visit from Norwegian Cruise Line’s latest newbuild Norwegian Escape, which will be launched later this month. The ship will be the biggest cruise ship that has ever called at the Port of Hamburg.