A £55 million cruise terminal at the Port of Southampton has opened its doors for the first time.
MSC Cruises’ flagship MSC Virtuosa is the first vessel to dock at the Horizon Cruise Terminal (pictured), which is fitted with shore power and more than 2,000 solar panels.
Shore power offers ‘plug-in’ technology to allow cruise ships to connect to the National Grid. It reduces the amount of time that ships run their engines in port and helps to improve air quality.
Shore power facility at Port of Rostock, Germany
The terminal was built in partnership with MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NCLH), the parent company for Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises.
Alastair Welch, director of Associated British Ports (ABP) Southampton, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be building the infrastructure for the future of cruise with a commitment to sustainable operations.
“We marked the UK restart of cruise with MSC Virtuosa leaving the port with the first passengers on May 20 and we’re excited to announce this next significant milestone for the future of cruise in the Port of Southampton.
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“This next-generation-ready terminal strengthens the Port of Southampton’s position as Europe’s leading cruise turn-around port and is a huge vote of confidence in the future of cruise.”
Antonio Paradiso, MSC Cruises UK and Ireland managing director, said: “Today marks another important moment for MSC Cruises in the UK as MSC Virtuosa becomes the first cruise ship to call at the new Horizon Cruise Terminal in Southampton, further enhancing the cruise experience for our guests.
“We have a long-term commercial partnership with ABP Southampton with a commitment that will see us bring even more guests to the port in the coming years, despite these challenging times, when Southampton will play a key part in our itineraries for international cruises.”
Howard Sherman, executive vice-president of destination services and onboard revenue at NCLH, added: “This project marks the continuation of a long-standing partnership between Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and the Port of Southampton.
“We look forward to the debut of Seven Seas Splendor, the first ship in our fleet scheduled to visit the new terminal this autumn.”
The construction of Horizon Cruise Terminal has received support from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and the government’s Getting Building Programme.