By
Rebecca Gibson |
Dublin Port Company welcomed four cruise ships in four hours on 23 July, making it the busiest cruise day to date in the port’s history.
Royal Caribbean International’s 330m Royal Princess, Celebrity Cruises’ 319m Celebrity Silhouette, Pullmantur Cruises’ 208m Horizon and Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ 222m Magellan all arrived at the mouth of the River Liffey between 3:30am and 7:00am. In total these ships brought more than 13,000 guests and crew to the city and generated an estimated €1.3 million for the city, with each passenger spending around €100.
Like MSC Cruises’ MSC Splendida, which became the longest cruise ship to dock at Dublin earlier this summer, both Royal Princess and Celebrity Silhouette reversed into their berths due to their length.
In future, longer cruise ships will no longer need to reverse into their berths as Dublin Port Company’s A€230 million Alexandra Basin Redevelopment (ABR) Project was recently approved by An Bord Pleanála. As part of the project, the port will dredge the River Liffey to increase the depth of its berths and the entrance channel from 7m to at least 10m, eliminating access issues caused by tides and enable large cruise and cargo ships to turn in Alexandra Basin and dock at East Link Bridge. It is hoped that this will encourage larger ships to routinely call at Dublin, enhancing inbound tourism and generating more revenue for the local economy.
“Dublin City is a marquee destination for the world’s largest cruise lines and our location at the heart of the city means that passengers can maximise their time in the capital, taking in the city’s sights, shops and attractions with ease,” said Eamonn O’Reilly, chief executive at Dublin Port Company. “Dublin Port’s cruise business is growing from strength to strength. We are already on track for a record year in 2015, and with work on our ABR Project commencing before the end of the year, the future of cruise tourism to the capital is now secure.”
Dublin Port is set to receive almost 100 cruise ships bringing 200,000 visitors.