Record number of cruisers pass through Kiel, winter sailings on the upRecord number of cruisers pass through Kiel, winter sailings on the up

Port of Kiel racked up 1,174,000 cruise passengers over 215 calls from 26 brands between April and November 4, AIDAnova being the last to call. 

‘We are closing the 2023 season with a good result. The development in the tourism industry shows a clear trend towards the cruise sector…’ Port of Kiel MD Dirk Claus remarked.

Kiel received the highest number of cruise calls in its history during last year’s cruise season. 

Season’s highlights 

Disney Dream became the first Disney Cruise Line vessel ever to call at the Port of Kiel when it arrived in early August, and MSC Cruises’ newest flagship – MSC Euribia – began its first season from Kiel, and is set to return during the 2024/2025 season.  

Activity in winter

In addition, there will be five cruise calls in December and four calls are expected at the beginning of 2024, indicating that Kiel is becoming increasingly important in the winter months. 

2024 predictions 

The Port of Kiel has an optimistic outlook on the 2024 season: a return to 2019 levels and calls from well-known cruise lines, as well as new cruise brands. Plus, with shore power installed at all Kiel’s cruise terminals, the port is sending a clear signal for more sustainable maritime tourism in Europe. ‘For us, the main issue is to make maritime tourism more environmentally friendly on the port side. Shore power was the dominant topic for us and will continue to be so in the coming season,’ emphasised Claus.

This year, Kiel’s shore power facilities were used for around 50 cruise calls, either for integration tests or for regular supply, lower than what the port had hoped. Reasons include a failure caused by a technical defect in the shore power truck and delays in the integration processes of individual ships. The port, considered a shore power pioneer in Europe, nevertheless draws a positive conclusion. ‘We have learned a lot in the past months and have created a good starting position for the coming season,’ stated Claus, ‘we expect to supply a total of 100 calls with shore power in the 2024 season.

‘On the one hand, many of the ships that will call at Kiel are capable of using shore power and have completed all the necessary tests with us; on the other hand, we can now offer shore power at all cruise terminals.’ 

The port began supplying shore power to cruise ships in 2021 and opened its latest facility in September at Ostuferhafen. Together with the supply capacity at the Ostseekai, the port can now provide two cruise ships with shore power simultaneously.

This season, Kiel was one of the first ports in Germany to allow refuelling with alternative fuels. In May, a cruise ship was supplied with LNG for the first time at a German port; since June, AIDAnova and MSC Euribia have regularly bunkered with LNG at the Port of Kiel.