By
Rebecca Gibson |
Holland America Line’s Zuiderdam made her maiden visit to the Port of Kiel in Germany on 14 March.
Arriving from Stockholm, Sweden as part of a 12-day Baltic cruise, the vessel was escorted to her berth at the Ostseekai Terminal by a port tug displaying a traditional water fountain. The 1,962-passenger ship, remained in Kiel until 6pm, when she departed for Gothenburg on the west coast of Sweden.
To mark the call, Kiel’s mayor Peter Todeskino presented the ship’s captain with a commemorative plaque.
“We are very happy that after welcoming HAL ships for eight years in a row, Kiel now occupies a firm place in the line’s route planning,” said Todeskino.
Zuiderdam will return to Kiel on 7 and 19 June, as well as 13 July and 18 August. Meanwhile, HAL’s newbuild Koningsdam will make her inaugural call on 30 June and return on 15 September.
“We are privileged to welcome not just one, but two of the company’s ships for maiden visits during the current season,” said Todeskino.
This year, Kiel will host 144 calls from 23 different ships, while more than two million passengers are expected to board or leave a ferry or cruise ship in the port. Highlights of the season will include maiden call from AIDA Cruises’ AIDAaura on 15 May, P&O Cruises’ Arcadia on 22 June and TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 5 on 23 June. The Kieler Woche sailing regatta will also start on 18 June, which will see seven cruise ships and three large Baltic ferries berthing in the port at the same time.
Visiting cruise guests can take guided tours of the Kiel Fiord, themed excursions to Hamburg and trips to the Kiel Canal, the beach resort of Laboe or the Hanseatic town of Lüneburg. They are also able to visit the Holstein region in Switzerland and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Lübeck.
Todeskino said: “Kiel has much to offer its visitors and is also an ideal springboard for excursions into the Schleswig-Holstein region and to Hamburg.”