Spring has arrived in the Baltic region and cruise ships are back

Fred. Olsen’s Balmoral arrived in Port of Kiel this morning, kick-starting the capital of Germany's northernmost state’s cruise season which will bring a total of 221 ship calls in the coming months.

Home porting and transit calls

As an established homeport for several cruise lines including AIDA, TUI, Costa and MSC, Kiel has been growing in popularity as a transit stop, too. With a wide range of excursion options in the region, UNESCO natural and cultural monuments and proximity to Hamburg, the port offers a good starting point for day trips in northern Germany.

‘We are really pleased to be returning to Kiel this month for the first of four calls in 2023. It is a city that holds a rich maritime history, just as we do as a business. Particularly exciting will be our call in June, timed purposefully to coincide with the famous Kiel Week Regatta,’ said Peter Deer, managing director, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines.

In addition to ships from Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line and Holland America Line, the port is expecting a call from Disney for the first time in the 2023 season and the debut of MSC Cruises’ MSC Euribia.

The port is currently investing in a multimillion euro project to offer shore power at all major cruise terminals from autumn 2023 and aims to supply one-third of calls with shore power this season, according to Managing Director Dirk Claus.

Copenhagen welcomes Ocean Nova

In Denmark, Copenhagen Malmö Port welcomed expedition cruise ship Ocean Nova today at Nordre Toldbod in Copenhagen marking the year's first cruise call.

In total CMP, comprising terminals in Copenhagen, Malmö, and Visby, expects 74 calls from small cruise ships (carrying fewer than 500 passengers) representing 17% of the total cruise calls and of which 30% will be turnarounds.

Throughout the season, CMP expects a total of 432 calls: 290 in Copenhagen, 136 in Visby and six in Malmö. Of these, 122 are turnarounds and 10 are Christmas calls.

‘We are excited to see a total of 432 expected cruise calls in 2023 at our ports with a well-balanced mix of smaller, medium, and larger vessels representing different segments and nationalities. Every year we are experiencing a gradual increase of calls from small cruise ships including exploration and niche vessels which are favourites amongst the destinations and local communities,’ said Luis de Carvalho, CMP’s commercial cruise director.

Highlights this year include nine maiden calls, amongst others Explora 1, Disney Dream, SH Diana, Costa Firenze, Scenic Eclipse and MSC Euribia, whose naming ceremony takes place June 8 in Copenhagen.

De Carvalho noted the continued cooperation with ports, destinations and cruise organizations in the region aiming at an all-year-round cruise season.

Ports of Stockholm

In Sweden, this weekend sees the start of the international cruise season at Ports of Stockholm with the arrival on Sunday of Bolette at Port of Nynäshamn. In total 126 cruise ships are booked for 2023 in a season which runs to end October.

Two days later the second cruise ship of the season, AIDAmar arrives at the city central Stadsgården quay in Stockholm.

‘During a normal year cruise passengers spend more than SEK 600m in the Stockholm region, which means a lot for the tourist industry,’ said Johan Wallén, marketing and sales manager at Ports of Stockholm.

North Baltic Sea

Interest in Stockholm as a cruise destination remains strong, but the number of cruise ship calls in the Northern Baltic Sea continues to be impacted by the war in the Ukraine, he added. In a normal year there would be more than twice as many cruise ship calls at Ports of Stockholm.

Ports of Stockholm is a member of Cruise Baltic and Cruise Europe. The current focus of both of these organisations is to work together with the ports in the Northern Baltic Sea – Stockholm, Helsinki and Tallinn – to invest and plan for a return to normal levels. For Ports of Stockholm this means around 300 cruise ship calls per season.

Together with Copenhagen/Malmö, Aarhus and Helsinki ports, Ports of Stockholm has been awarded EU funding to invest in shore power facilities for cruise ships. Part of the funding is supporting the installation of facilities at berth S167 (ready in 2023) and S160 (ready in 2024) and at Stadsgården quay, which will be completed this year.