By
Alex Smith |
Princess Cruises’ Regal Princess has called at Portland Port in the UK during a 12-day cruise around the British Isles from Southampton.
Representatives of businesses based at Portland Port were invited to go onboard the vessel for a tour, which has capacity for up to 3,560 passengers. Over 200 people are employed by commercial businesses in the port, along with 53 port staff.
“Businesses at the port have seen our cruise activity grow and develop over recent years – this was a lovely opportunity to provide our customers with a tour of the Regal Princess, with lunch onboard,” said Ian McQuade, commercial general manager of Portland Port and chair of Cruise Britain.
Pasengers from Regal Princess headed out of the port via shuttle bus service or on tours to local destinations including Abbotsbury Swannery, Athelhampton House and Bovington Tank Museum, as well as Forde Abbey in North Dorset and Stonehenge on Salisbury Plain. When the ship departed, it was played out by the Dorchester-based Durnovaria Silver Band, as well as a celebratory cannon salute from Nothe Fort in Weymouth.
A total of 57 cruise calls have been booked in at the port for this year, with around 130,000 passengers set to visit. Portland Port estimates that the cruise industry benefits Portland and Weymouth by approximately £10 million ($12.8 million) annually.
In the last eight years, the port has invested more than £40 million ($51 million) in developing infrastructure and more than £3 million ($3.82 million) in repairs and maintenance. This includes a £26 million ($33.1 million) investment in a newly redeveloped deep-water berth, officially opened in June 2024, which allows cruise ships of up to 350 metres in length to call at the port.
“It is this investment that has enabled the port’s continued growth and development, not least in the growth of the cruise business,” said McQuade.