25 millionth cruise passenger
'This year was an especially exciting season for the cruise industry in Vancouver,' said Peter Xotta, VP planning and operations at the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority. 'Working alongside our destination, cruise line and industry partners, we made history with the arrival of the 25 millionth cruise passenger through the Port of Vancouver, saw the highest number of cruise passengers since 2010, and hosted the largest cruise ship ever to visit Vancouver.'
Norwegian Bliss becomes the biggest
Vancouver chalked up its 25 millionth cruiser on May 23, while the port's largest cruise ship, Norwegian Bliss, visited Sept. 30. The 2018 season included maiden calls by Windstar Cruises' Star Legend and Norwegian Cruise Line's Norwegian Jewel, which replaced Norwegian Sun.
Cruising is a key economic driver for the region as each ship adds about $3m in direct economic activity. The business generates nearly 7,000 jobs across Canada and $300m in wages, and contributes $840m to national GDP.
Shore power benefits
Since Vancouver's Canada Place initiated shore power for cruise ships in 2009, there have been 493 successful shore power connections out of 624 calls by ships able to connect to shore power. This equates to a total of 58,000 tons of fuel savings, more than 18,000 tons of greenhouse gas emission reductions and 524 tons of air pollutant reductions.
The 2019 cruise season is scheduled to begin March 29, with another Emerald Princess visit.
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