By
Rebecca Gibson |
Germany’s Port of Kiel officially opened its newly extended cruise berth in Ostuferhafen with the arrival of Holland America Line’s (HAL) Eurodam on 9 June.
During a ceremony on the passenger gangway, Berth 1 was opened by Ralph Müller-Beck, state secretary of the Schleswig Holstein Ministry of Economic Affairs, Employment, Transport and Technology; Susanne Gaschke, the Lord Mayor of the Federal State Capital of Kiel; Dirk Claus, the port’s managing director; and Captain Henk Keijer.
“The increase in the number of cruise ship berths in Ostuferhafen, Kiel, provides a valuable new capacity reserve, particularly when our cruise ship terminal Ostseekai is in use,” said Claus. “We gain additional flexibility and have created development prospects for the future. Kiel now has a total of three berths available for the handling of very big cruise ships, as well as other berths for smaller ships.”
The berth is now able to accommodate three large cruise ships at the same time, as well as offering handling capacities for several smaller cruise vessels. The 400 metre-long berth has a constant water depth of 10.50m and has been certified according to the international ISPS Code for port safety.
Presenting an authorisation certificate during an onboard reception, Müller-Beck said: “This third cruise shipping berth is of major importance to the Port of Kiel because ships carrying up to 4,000 passengers can be handled here. We are creating the infrastructure conditions, which will enable us to be a part of cruise tourism growth in northern Europe.”
The quayside’s fenders have also been adapted to the requirements of large ships, while a new gangway was installed at the end of May, allowing passengers to embark and disembark the ship easily.
Following the renovation, which is part of a EUR5.4 million Ostuferhafen development project, Berth 1 will be used for both stopover cruise ship visits and turnarounds.
In order to accommodate these visits, the port’s 2,500sqm luggage handling area will be redesigned, while the 1,500sqm passenger terminal area will located in a floodlit pavilion next to the waterfront. Embarking passengers will also be able to park their cars at the terminal building throughout the duration of their trip.
Construction of the terminal, which will have the capacity for handling cruise ships with up to 4,000 passengers, will begin in 2014 and is scheduled for completion at the beginning of 2015.