By
Rebecca Gibson |
The UK’s Portsmouth International Port has welcomed a call from Hapag-Lloyd’s Hanseatic for the first time since 15 June 2006.
Calling as part of her 14-day cruise from the German port of Hamburg to the Spanish port of Madeira, Hanseatic arrived in Portsmouth at 7am on 2 October. Hanseatic, which recently became the first passenger ship to sail within 480km of the North Pole via the Northeast passage, brought around 175 passengers to the port.
Guests headed to various different attractions including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Stonehenge, Salisbury Cathedral, Chichester Cathedral and Petworth House, where William Turner painted numerous oil paintings and watercolours. Before departing the port at 8pm to sail to Guernsey, the passengers attended a music recital inside the Guildhall.
“We enjoyed having a record breaker sail into the port, cruising past our own maritime marvels in the Historic Dockyard,” said Captain Rupert Taylor, harbour master at Portsmouth. “We’ve worked hard to attract a growing number of explorer cruises and this visit shows we are perfectly placed for passengers to experience an incredible day of discovery with a stop at our waterfront city.”
On 22 September, Portsmouth welcomed a call from Phoenix Reisen’s Artania, the largest ever cruise ship to visit the port. Artania, which made two calls the port last year, brought more than 1,000 passengers as part of her seven-night cruise from Bremerhaven in Germany.
The 231m ship arrived at 8am and docked at Berth 2 while her passengers took a shuttle bus service to Portsmouth city centre to visit the Historic Dockyard, Gunwharf Quays and other tourist attractions. Guests also enjoyed coach excursions to Stonehenge, Salisbury, Chichester and landmarks in London, including a tour of Buckingham Palace.
“We can arrange absolutely everything for a ship’s visit – apart from the weather,” said Taylor. “Luckily it was a beautiful day for Artania’s 1053 passengers to explore Portsmouth and head off to destinations further afield. It’s a great example of how the team at the port can easily handle large numbers of passengers, making sure all of them get the most out of their day with us.”
Departing at 8pm, Artania sailed to Plymouth, UK, before heading back across the channel for stops in France, Holland and Germany. Artania will spend the next two months in drydock while her engines are replaced.