Cruise & Ferry Review - Autumn/Winter 2021

2 7 Port St Maarten has reopened its cruise port after a hiatus during the Covid-19 pandemic. Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Edge was the first ship to visit the destination at the start of July 2021, bringing 1,500 guests who were greeted by a steel pan performance by the Ebony Orchestra and entertainment by Funtopia. The port received six further ship calls over the month, including another visit by Celebrity Edge, a call from Seabourn Odyssey, and two stops each by Windstar Cruises’ Star Breeze and Celebrity Summit. Seabourn Odyssey will also return to homeport later in the season. St Petersburg ready to receive ferries following infrastructure project Port St Maarten welcomes back cruising The port of St Petersburg is now able to host calls from passenger ferries after completing an infrastructure project funded by the South-East Finland - Russia Cross- Border Cooperation Programme. The border checkpoint at the port was reconstructed during a 30-month project, allowing for the installation of specialised equipment for border and customs control operations. The checkpoint represents a total investment of € 3.2 million ($3.8 million). “Since the very beginning of the port, development projects have been a high priority,” said Vitaly Saveliev, Russia’s minister of transport. “The checkpoint will improve the trade and economic relations with our neighbour Finland, along with other Baltic countries.”