Opening ceremony took place as MSC Meraviglia made her maiden call to the German port
By
Rebecca Gibson |
MSC Cruises inaugurated a newly equipped, co-branded terminal and a dedicated berth at the Port of Kiel in Germany on 27 April.
The cruise line, which is the most frequent visitor to the Ostuferhafen berth, has rebranded both the associated passenger terminal and luggage area. Soon, the line’s passengers will have access to a second dedicated gangway for transfers between ship and shore.
The opening ceremony took place on the same day as MSC Cruises’ 5,714-passenger MSC Meraviglia made her maiden call to Kiel, kicking off the start of a season of bi-weekly turnaround cruises from Kiel to the Norwegian fjords and St Petersburg, Russia. One itinerary will take guests to the Norwegian Fjords via Copenhagen, Denmark and Stavanger, Norway, while the other will take them to St. Petersburg via Copenhagen, Helsinki in Finland and Tallinn in Estonia.
MSC Cruises’ executive chairman Pierfrancesco Vago and the port’s managing director Dirk Claus also signed a letter of intent (LOI) to grow MSC Cruises’ presence in Kiel and the wider Northern Europe and Baltic regions. The LOI includes plans for MSC Cruises to homeport two ships in Kiel from 2020 and analysing options to equip the brand’s dedicated berth with shore power facilities.
“This newly equipped, co-branded terminal and dedicated berth will enable us to achieve dramatic growth out of Kiel, which will become one of our key homeports in Northern Europe,” said Vago. “We will consolidate our position as the cruise line with the second largest capacity deployed in Germany and Northern Europe while also becoming the number one cruise line in Kiel. Our long-term partnership will the port will create plenty of opportunities for the city and the local community. We look forward to a bright common future.”