By
Rebecca Gibson |
Four cruise ships called at Lerwick Harbour in the Shetland Islands on 21 June, marking the second time this season that the Scottish port has welcomed a quartet of vessels in one day.
Three ships arrived in port before 10am local time, including Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Astor, which sailed in from Bremerhaven, Germany; P&O Cruises’ Oriana, which had previously docked in Torshavn, Faroe Islands; and Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam from Reykjavik, Iceland. Windstar Cruises’ Star Breeze berthed at midday following a visit to Ålesund, Norway. In total, the four vessels brought around 4,200 passengers to Lerwick Harbour.
“Single-ship visits are still the norm, but there are increasingly days when more than one are booked,” said Melanie Henderson, cruise manager for Lerwick Port Authority. “In addition to the four today, there are 26 days this season with two or more cruise vessels, out of the 83 days when ships are scheduled. It is unusual to have four ships in one day, although we do have the capacity to handle multiple calls simultaneously, both alongside and at anchor, which is complemented by highly developed shoreside and welcome services, with an expanded network of visitor attractions.”
A record-breaking 106 cruise ships are expected to visit Lerwick Harbour in 2019, including 11 vessels that will make maiden calls. One of these will be MSC Cruises’ 3,500-guest MSC Preziosa, which will be the largest cruise ship to visit this year.