By
Rebecca Gibson |
Denmark’s Port of Skagen is to open its new cruise facilities in February 2015, two months ahead of schedule.
Originally planned to become operational in April 2015 the facilities are under construction as part of a DKK226 million project and will enable the port to accommodate cruise vessels of up to 330 m alongside. Construction work has progressed more quickly than expected due to a long summer and mild winter.
The port has now completed a 507m cruise quay with bollards, finished 850m of the 1.3km breakwater and dredged 95% of the basin near to the cruise quay.
Skagen’s managing director and cruise manager will soon design the reception facilities that will serve the new cruise quay, know as pier 9, and the existing cruise quay, named pier 10. The design will be based on conclusions from interviews with cruise line decisions makers in a Bermello, Ajamil & Partners report.
In order to meet the increased demands, the Cruise Skagen network is developing more varied tour options, extending the opening hours of shops and other attractions and training tour guides to ensure they can provide information in numerous languages. The network will also ensure it has the number of coaches, taxis and private cars needed for passengers disembarking from the larger cruise ships.
This year, Skagen was scheduled to handle 11 cruise calls and the season will close with a visit from Cunard’s Queen Victoria, which will arrive on 12 September.
“It has been a great pleasure to welcome so many happy guests and crew members in Skagen,” said Anne Sofie Rønne Jensen, cruise manager at the port. ”An average of 83.8% of the passengers went ashore – a satisfying number considering that Skagen has so far mainly been a tender port.”