Voyages of Discovery starts Tyne's season

The 153mtr Voyages of Discovery vessel arrived at 7 a.m. from Portsmouth.

The 560 passengers were to spend the day exploring Hadrian’s Wall, Lindisfarne, the Farne Islands, Cragside, Blanchland and Durham City Cathedral and Castle, amongst other sights of the North East.

Last year the Port of Tyne welcomed a record 623,000 cruise and ferry passengers who added around £54m to the regional economy, supporting 1,700 jobs.

Some 31 cruise ships are due to call in Tyne this year, on transit calls and turnarounds.