News / Record breaking cruise liner season
LERWICK harbour is celebrating its best cruise season yet, with an increasing number of vessels visiting the Shetland port.
The popularity of the islands with passengers is also highlighted by cruise operators booking future calls for up to three years ahead for the first time.
Lerwick Port Authority said the 2012 season, which ended on Saturday, had set four new records:
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37,572 passengers, topping the previous highest figure of 30,843 in 2010.
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52 cruise ships, beating last year’s record of 50.
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1,531,097 gross tonnes of shipping, up on the previous record of 1,220,455 gross tonnes in 2010.
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3,105 passengers on a single vessel at Lerwick – Costa Pacifica, on 2 July, passing her previous record of 3,007 in June, 2011.
The port authority’s deputy chief executive Victor Sandison said: “The record-breaking season is further evidence that the authority’s investment in facilities and the commitment in Shetland to promoting the islands’ many attractions and making passengers welcome are generating the right results and sustained success.
“The forward bookings – with 43 already for next year, 17 for 2014 and a handful for 2015 – are another encouraging vote of confidence in everything that the port and Shetland can offer the cruise industry and a great building block for the future.”
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