THE FIRST of two huge cruise ships set to house COP26 delegates arrived on the River Clyde today.
The cruise liner MS Romantika has docked at Glasgow’s King George V dock, next to Braehead Shopping Centre.
The luxury ship will be docked on the Clyde for the entirety of COP26 and has an estimated capacity for 2,500 passengers and 300 cars.
Now the vessel is safely berthed, it will be joined by the MS Silja Europa which will arrive from Estonia in the next few days.
The MS Silja Europa was always expected to dock in Glasgow with the intention of housing delegates during the summit, but the decision to bring a second vessel comes amid fears of accommodation availability and pricing.
Unusual sight on the river today - heading up the Firth today is Tallink ferry ROMANTIKA, which normally works between Stockholm and Riga.
— Friends of Wemyss Bay Station (@OfWemyss) October 12, 2021
She is bound for Glasgow and thought to be providing accommodation during COP26. pic.twitter.com/rvcwjCeJK0
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Both ships are owned by Tallink Grupp. Paavo Nõgene, the firm's chief executive, said: “Tallink Grupp can very quickly, flexibly, and professionally meet the needs of even the most complex events and requirements.
“We are pleased that we have been able to demonstrate to our good cooperation partners this year that we have extremely good vessels suitable not only for travelling and transport, but also for accommodation services, that we have very capable crew and staff who can deliver exceptional results and service levels under great pressure and in very complex circumstances.”
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Some residents of areas near the River Clyde spotted the massive vessel earlier today and have been posting pictures of the impressive ship to social media.
Glasgow is set to host near 120 heads of state and 20,000 delegates from countries around the world in November in a bid to tackle the climate crisis. There has been concerns regarding the city’s road closures during the two-week event as the full city is set to be diverted when travelling.
COP26 officially gets underway on October 31 and concludes on November 12. You can find out all the road closures in Glasgow during the talks here.
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