Port managing director Dirk Claus said that would be a record passenger count.
To mark the start of the season, Capt. Manuel Pannzek was welcomed by deputy city president Robert Vollborn. 'I am very pleased that AIDAcara, which is marking her 150th visit to Kiel this year, is inaugurating the latest cruise season and also that AIDA Cruises will be on hand with as many as four ships for the first time,' Vollborn said.
He and Pannzek then unveiled the foundation stone for a 'Cruise Ship Walk of Fame' to honor vessels that have special significance for Kiel. The first bronze plaque on the new walkway is dedicated to AIDAcara, which has visited more times than any other cruise ship.
Further season highlights include the April 29 maiden call of MSC Fantasia, which will sail 21 cruises from the Ostseekai and Ostuferhafen terminals and, at 138,000gt, becomes the biggest cruise ship turning around in Kiel.
'As the base port for MSC Fantasia, Kiel is entering a new dimension as far as ship sizes are concerned,' Claus said. 'Our logistics and terminal facilities are geared to ships of this size,' he added.
A further highlight will be the May 11 maiden call by Mein Schiff 6, TUI Cruises' newest ship. Kiel will be its first German port of call and the base for several introductory sailings from the Ostseekai Terminal. On June 3 Mein Schiff 6 begins its maiden voyage to the Norwegian Fjords and North Cape.
Another maiden caller will be Ponant's Le Soléal during a transit stop on a voyage to Stockholm.
The most frequent visitors this season will be AIDA ships, with 52 stops by AIDAcara, AIDAvita, AIDAluna and AIDAbella.
During the Kieler Woche sailing regatta, from June 17-25, 16 cruise ships are scheduled to visit, among them Cunard's Queen Elizabeth, P&O Cruises' Arcadia and Fred. Olsen’s Black Watch.
On seven dates this year, three or even four cruise ships will be berthed at the same time, in addition to Baltic ferries. On those peak days, up to 20,000 passengers are expected to embark or disembark inside just a few hours.
In preparation for new regulations governing wastewater, a high-capacity reception facility is going into operation at the Ostseekai Terminal over the coming weeks. It will increase current the current 30 cubic meters/hour capacity by tenfold.
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