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Record five passenger ships in one day at Port of Tyne

20 August 2016

The Port of Tyne in North East England has its busiest day ever at its International Passenger Terminal in North Shields with the arrival of a record five passenger ships all in one day including the biggest cruise ship ever to visit the Port.

Tuesday 16 August saw Holland America Line’s Koningsdam break the record books as the largest cruise ship to visit the Port of Tyne at 297.2 metres long and 99,500 gross tons. Launched in April this year, Koningsdam is one of the world’s newest cruise ships bringing almost 4,000 passengers and crew to the region.

Every available passenger berth was used as five passenger ships arrived bringing visitors the North East region.

German-operated Aida Vita was closely followed by the arrival of Seven Seas Voyager, Koningsdam, the DFDS King Seaways and Astor.

The combined length of all five vessels is 1,043.90 metres (3,424.86 feet) and an estimated 10,000 passengers and crew passed through the Port’s International Passenger Terminal throughout the day.

Andrew Moffat Port of Tyne, Chief Executive Officer, said: “The Port has worked hard to increase the number of cruise ships coming into the region and this year we expect a record 43 cruise calls, up from 29 last year. Whilst this is good news for the Port of Tyne, it is also very good for the region – the impact on the local economy is estimated at around £50 million each year, supporting 1,700 jobs.

“The team is well prepared and looking forward to welcoming a record number of international visitors in just 24 hours.”

A record number of coaches took passengers on tours to explore North East England and its world-class visitor attractions such as Alnwick Castle and Gardens, Hadrian’s Roman Wall, Durham Cathedral and City, and the Holy Island of Lindisfarne.

For further information on the cruises available from the Port of Tyne visit the Port’s website www.portoftyne.co.uk/cruise or contact your local travel agent.

  • The Port of Tyne is one of the UK’s major deep-sea ports – a vital trading gateway to world-wide markets
  • Operating five business areas including bulk and conventional cargo, car terminals, cruise and ferry, logistics and a commercial property portfolio
  • 43 cruise calls are expected to visit the Port of Tyne in 2016
  • Koningsdam is a cruise ship operated by Holland America Line (HAL), a Seattle-based American owned cruise line and a division of the Carnival Corporation. The class leader of HAL’s Pinnacle class ships, Koningsdam is by far the largest ship ever to be constructed for HAL.
  • Launched in April 2016, Koningsdam in Dutch and means “koning” (king), the ship cost US $520 million to build.
  • Koningsdam visited Port of Tyne as part of its 21-night Northern Isles and Viking Sagas cruise, which left Amsterdam on 14 August, from Port of Tyne the ship sailed to Queensferry near Edinburgh.

For further information please contact:
Lisa Donohoe, Public Relations Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 191 455 2671 Mob: +44 (0)79123 90777 E: lisa.donohoe@portoftyne.co.uk
Web: www.portoftyne.co.uk Twitter: @Port_of_Tyne