Portland Port is embarking on its largest and most ambitious improvement project to date, investing £26 million in a major berth development.

The development will see the existing Deep Water Berth (DWB) removed, and replaced with a brand new, extended berth. In addition, the works will deliver a 74m extension to the solid quay face of our current primary cruise berth, the Outer Coaling Pier (OCP). Overall, the project will deliver 16,000m² of additional quayside space and be capable of handling two 350m LOA cruise ships alongside at the same time.

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With one million international visitors welcomed over the 15 years since Cruise Liverpool’s terminal was opened in 2007, the anniversary celebrations will spill over into 2023 with the opportunity for a cruise vessel to be alongside for Eurovision. Get in touch with the Liverpool team to see if this could be one of your ships!

Cruise brings an estimated £15m to the city’s visitor economy plus additional benefit to the terminal itself with increases forecast as call numbers grow. The city council remains committed to developing Liverpool Cruise Terminal to support growth.

The last 12 months have been very busy for Royal HaskoningDHV as they work on some truly innovative projects. The recently finished masterplan for Portsmouth International Port will see the development of first-class cruise terminal facilities with sustainable operations at its core.

Following regular work with ABP Southampton, the team are currently assisting with the procurement of the seaport boarding bridge for the Mayflower Terminal. Further afield sees recently completed design work for Saudi Arabia’s Hidden Marina project.

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A record year for Falmouth Harbour was topped off with the visit of the incredible 333m MSC Preziosa.

Visits have grown from 23 in 2019 to 35 in 2022, with the average vessel size almost doubling since 2019. The average length has increased from 183m in 2019 to 202m in 2021/22.  This has included a total of 6 Falmouth Bay tendering visits, another record for vessels visiting the Harbour. The Harbour offers both berthage in Falmouth docks and anchoring in one of the most beautiful anchorages in the world and providing access to Cornwall for larger cruise ships.

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This year, 83% of all those who visited on a cruise ship from April to September, were interested enough in the Islands to disembark and see what we had to offer, which is much higher than the industry average of 60-70%.

‘CruiseGuernsey continues to work hard on re-marketing to these visitors, encouraging them back for a longer stay. There are two ways this is done – from data gathered when visitors sign in to free WiFi on the pier and via the ’comeback’ postcards, of which we have distributed 20,000 this year, handed out when passengers return to the ship’.

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Growing the cruise market is a key part of the refresh of the 20-year strategic vision and includes working with cruise operators and excursion companies to highlight local and regional opportunities, some only available to cruise guests.

Guests can trek the Jurassic Coast with a Ilama, explore the Ghost Village of Tyneham, go wild swimming and hear smugglers yarns; and visit Brownsea Island, site of the first Scout campsite.

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SCH, the stevedoring arm of Cruise and Passenger Services (CPS), has seen a resurgence in cruise passenger numbers through Southampton as the sector recovers. As the season draws to a close, there has been a return towards pre-Covid levels of business. SCH has supported nearly 250,000 passengers, with numbers having increased considerably against 2021 as vessels sail closer to capacity.

Although SCH’s total number of Southampton calls is down slightly, 2023 looks promising with SCH’s established customers again viewing UK cruise as important within their programmes. Equally, the attraction of Liverpool and Portsmouth as just two alternative UK embark ports has produced a similar story for SCH and sister companies.

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A new stage of a ground-breaking solar generation system at Portsmouth has been reached. 888 solar panels, a third of total number of solar panels installed at the Port over the past year, now generate 400kWp of renewable energy that can be used to reduce consumption at the Port or be exported back to the grid.

Installation began in February and incorporated roof-mounted solar panels across several buildings, a large battery and solar canopies. Once all 2,660 panels are switched on, the power produced will contribute around 35% of the Port’s energy needs; a big step forward for the Port’s ambition to reach net-zero by 2030.

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Belu Chetna has joined GAC UK as Cruise & Defence Manager to spearhead the company’s agency business serving the sector across the UK, Ireland and Gibraltar.

She brings to her new role many years of experience in operations, client servicing, planning and team management within the travel and cruise sector. Belu earned her NEBOSH Health and Safety certificate during lockdown, and her continued self-development has been recognised with an award from the Marine Society & Sea Cadets at its AGM in October.

Before entering the cruise industry, Belu travelled the world in pursuit of her love for discovering new places.