Quartet of Cruise Records in Prospect for Lerwick
The first cruise ship arrival of the year will enter Lerwick Harbour this weekend at the start of a record-breaking season which is expected to see the most passengers and vessels yet at the Shetland port, along with the highest gross tonnage of cruise ships, including the biggest vessels to date. • Almost 54,000 passengers are expected, up on the 2014 record of 43,273. • 78 vessels are currently due, beating the high of 52 in 2012. • The cumulative tonnage at 2,212,023 gross tonnes tops the 1,684,699 gross tonnes set in 2014. • The record for the largest cruise ship will be broken twice – by P&O Cruises 115,055 gross tonne Azura on 30 June, followed by Celebrity Cruises’ Celebrity Silhouette (122,210 gross tonnes) on 14 August, with around 3,100 and 2,900 passenger capacity respectively.
Lerwick Port Promoting Shetland Fishing Industry
The importance of investment in the Shetland fishing industry has been highlighted today by Lerwick Port Authority Chief Executive, Sandra Laurenson. The industry – white fish, pelagic, shellfish and aquaculture – is the biggest single contributor to the islands' economy, more than the four other main business categories combined. Commenting ahead of the annual Fishing Expo exhibition in Aberdeen, where the Authority will participate, Ms Laurenson said: "The trends are positive, with recent and current investment across many in the sector including new boats and vessel upgrades, modernised processing, additional infrastructure and the local supply chain.
Sixth Floating Accommodation for Lerwick Port
The cruise ship Gemini has been brought to Lerwick by Petrofac as additional accommodation to support the Shetland Gas Plant project. The ship arrived today (Monday 14 July) from Tilbury and will be berthed at Dales Voe Base. The initial hire of the vessel is for three months. As with the other ships used for floating accommodation, the vessel may be required to move off the berth on occasions to suit other vessel movements. The Gemini will accommodate up to 400 Petrofac personnel onboard. The majority of the other floating accommodation at Lerwick is expected to remain until towards the end of this year. However, the Regina Baltica at Mair’s Quay will have to depart by the autumn to make way for the planned construction of the new Holmsgarth North jetty.
