13th May 2009
CRUISE CALLS ON THE UP AT ABERDEEN HARBOUR
Aberdeen Harbour will welcome 11 cruise calls this summer, starting with the arrival of the Fram, making its maiden visit to the port today Thursday 14 May, carrying more than 200 passengers.
Spending the day in Aberdeen before leaving for Kirkwall, the Fram is one of the largest cruise vessels to visit the port. The 12,700-tonne liner incorporates a main reception area, a glass-enclosed observation salon and leisure facilities, including gym, sauna and heated Jacuzzis.
Other liners to visit the port over the summer include the Funchal, Quest, Bremen, Island Sky and luxury expedition liner Prince Albert II, also visiting Aberdeen for the first time on 27 May. The luxury liner is named in honour of Prince Albert II of Monaco's passion for environmental conservation and supports his mission to allow travellers to discover and appreciate some of the world's most remote and unspoiled regions. Making a return visit to Aberdeen on 4 June 2009 she will travel from Hamburg to Longyearbyen, capital of the Norwegian Svalbard archipelago, on a 16-day voyage.
Colin Parker, chief executive, Aberdeen Harbour comments: "The number of cruise calls scheduled for Aberdeen this year is very promising and we will be delighted to welcome the Fram for the first time. As with commercial vessels, the trend is that larger cruise liners are calling in to port which is great for us and the city."
The announcement of this latest cruise call comes as Shetland Island residents voiced their support of the port in a travel survey commissioned by ZetTrans, Shetland's transport partnership. The survey revealed that more than 90% of residents used the ferry to Aberdeen regularly, were pleased with the service and saw it as a vital transport link between Shetland and the mainland.
"Aberdeen is the main gateway to the mainland, with more than 130,000 Shetland residents and visitors travelling between Aberdeen and the islands last year alone," continues Colin. "Through listening to the passengers and working closely with NorthLink Ferries, we can continue to provide a quality service that will ensure Aberdeen remains the port of choice for island residents."
Although Aberdeen is mainly a commercial port, handling more than 5 million tonnes of commercial cargo throughput a year, the cruise calls schedule for 2009 has been favourably received. Aberdeen Harbour is a member of the recently launched Cruise Scotland, an organisation of 14 member ports working together to promote Scotland as a cruise ship destination for overseas travellers, and expand Scotland's market share by 10% year on year, for the next three years. The port is also a member of Cruise Europe, a long established organisation with similar aims for many European coastal states.
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