The first cruise ship of the 2018 season arrived in Aberdeen Harbour this week, officially opening the cruising season in the north-east.
The Corinthian, with five decks and on deck jacuzzi, arrived at Aberdeen on Tuesday (May 15) and made a return visit today (Thursday, May 17), with guests enjoying a morning tour of historic areas of the Granite City, including the University of Aberdeen and Footdee, before enjoying a free afternoon to explore the city.
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Aberdeen Harbour has already received 28 bookings for cruise calls in 2018, carrying an estimated 2,500 passengers to the established city berth.
Matt North, Commercial Director, Aberdeen Harbour Board, said: “As our £350million Aberdeen Harbour Expansion Construction Project continues, the future for a growing cruise market looks positive and we are looking forward to building on our current cruise activity in the Granite City. Even in 2018, before the completion of the expansion, which is scheduled to officially open in the summer of 2020, the cruise industry is playing a growing role, both in Aberdeen and across the country.
“Cruise Scotland registered 762 cruise ship visits to Scottish Ports in 2017, carrying more than 680,000 tourists to regions around the country. In 2018, Cruise Scotland estimates this will increase to more than 820,000 tourists who will visit the country on 812 cruise vessel calls. Aberdeen Harbour plays an important roll in growing these numbers even further.
“In 2020, we are due to complete our expansion with the opening of our new port, which, combined with our existing infrastructure, will make us Scotland’s largest port in terms of berth capacity, with a water depth of up to 14 metres. This will allow us to accommodate calls from even larger vessels while providing state-of-the-art facilities as well as our comprehensive expertise, gained over the past 900 years as the oldest business in Britain.”
