By
Cherie Rowlands |
A 12-month review of Columbus Cruise Center Wismar (CCCW) by the port’s management team highlights better-than-expected results for the northern Germany facility, ahead of further investment.
The cruise location – a joint venture with Columbus Cruise Center Bremerhaven – saw the first ship processed at the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, followed by three more in 2013. “Fifteen ships are already booked for 2014 and as a result, Wismar can count on more than 20,000 day trippers in that period,” CCCW managing director Veit Hürdler said. “This extraordinary result is particularly pleasing when you consider that cruises are normally planned on average three years in advance.”
An infrastructure investment of €3 million is earmarked to establish the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code area, add a mooring dolphin to the berth and to set up a small processing facility for the authorities. No funding has been allocated for terminal improvements as these have been deemed unnecesseary at this stage.
Senator Michael Berkhahan, Wismar’s deputy mayor, said: “We at the town of Wismar are impressed by the speed at which CCCW has managed to establish the terminal as a location in the global market. We look forward to welcoming our guests and have decided to optimise the infrastructure for cruise vessels.”
Wismar Seaport CEO Michael Kremp believes that key to the cruise terminal’s success is in the way it meets the needs of the lines. “The new cruise terminal in Wismar is just what the shipping lines were looking for,” he said. “As a World Heritage Site, the town is a perfect seller as a destination on board. At the same time, its geographical location halfway along the German Baltic seaboard makes it the ideal starting point for excursions in all directions – Berlin, Hamburg and Lübeck are all within striking distance.
“Through our counterpart in Bremerhaven, we are in a position to offer a destination with ten years’ experience in processing cruise vessels. Bremerhaven’s network of contacts in the cruise industry allows synergies from which both locations can benefit and simultaneously offers the perfect foundation for sustainable expansion in Wismar.”
CCCW has also launched a cruise-tour local ‘shared interest’ group with the aim of presenting the products of its work to both passengers and crew. These include a welcome greeting, a town map designed for cruise visitors and a shuttle bus service to the market square.
Hürdler said: “We are positioning ourselves in the market quite clearly for vessels up to 240 m long and in this sector we want to offer our guests a warm welcome and personal service. The shared interest group has developed a programme which offers a traditional musical farewell for every ship leaving the terminal.”