By Ian McConnell
PEEL Ports Clydeport has hailed as “exciting” the arrival yesterday of the first cruise ship to call at Greenock since the “Covid crisis effectively closed down the cruise industry”.
The 169,000-tonne Anthem of the Seas, with capacity to carry 5,000 passengers and 1,500 crew over 16 decks, arrived at Greenock Ocean Terminal yesterday, just days after the Scottish Government relaxed coronavirus-related rules.
READ MORE: Amber list move only small step to unpicking puzzle: Ian McConnell
Peel Ports Clydeport director Jim McSporran said: “It was exciting to see Anthem of The Seas sail into Greenock. It’s a symbol the gradual removal of Covid restrictions which is taking place will soon see the cruise industry return to its pre-pandemic scale of operations and more.”
Peel Ports Clydeport noted the vessel’s arrival “heralds a busy late-cruising season this year at Greenock, with 50 ships booked into the Inverclyde town’s new dedicated pontoon by mid-November”.
READ MORE: Ian McConnell: Spotlight on banks’ behaviour as ‘extraordinary guardrails’ go
The pontoon is part of a £19 million-plus cruise berthing and visitor centre development funded by the Glasgow City Region City Deal, Peel Ports, Inverclyde Council and the George Wyllie Foundation. Prior to the pandemic, it was estimated 150,000 cruise passengers could pass through Greenock each year after the new terminal’s completion – delivering £26m in annual visitor and crew spend for the Inverclyde and broader Scottish economy.
Work will start soon on the visitor centre, Peel Ports Clydeport noted.
Mr McSporran said: “We’ve a very busy period coming up this year with 50 bookings at the new cruise terminal, and I’m looking forward to welcoming well in excess of 100 cruise arrivals next year. Peel Ports Clydeport is ready to play its part in boosting the tourism industry both locally and nationwide as passengers go on to visit tourist destinations throughout central Scotland.”
Councillor Jim Clocherty, depute leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “The cruise market is hugely important for Inverclyde and Scotland and worth millions of pounds to the economy.
“With more things now opening up again, I’m delighted to see vessels back here on the Clyde and I hope people take the opportunity to discover Inverclyde and the many things it has to offer."
He added: “The fact that so many ships and passengers are booked in already for this year and next is testament to the warm welcome visitors receive here and cements Greenock and Inverclyde’s place as a friendly port.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel