Stockholm’s appeal for scenic cruising

All but three of these calls were scenic cruises, where the approach to Stockholm through the archipelago, culminating in arrival in the heart of the city, make the experience attractive, notes Stefan Scheja, cruise and ferry manager at Ports of Stockholm.

‘Stockholm is incredible in that you can turn a huge cruise ship around beside the Old Town and let the passengers enjoy a fantastic view. This makes Stockholm a very popular cruise destination, especially in these times, when you cannot disembark,’ explains Scheja.

Almost all of the visiting cruise passengers came from Germany in 2020, but in previous years passengers from the UK and US also top the list.

In total, 281 cruise ships called at the Ports of Stockholm in 2019 welcoming 650,000 passengers, representing a 4.3% increase in numbers compared to 2018.

For many years Ports of Stockholm has provided facilities for offloading black and grey water in port. Offloading of waste is also included in the port fees, and vessels that sort their waste at source pay reduced fees.

The next step in being an even more sustainable cruise destination, informs Scheja, is to equip two berths with onshore power supply connections for cruise ships. The electricity connection facilities will be ready for use in 2023 and 2024, respectively.