The largest ever cruise ship to dock at Scrabster harbour has come into port over the weekend.
The visit has been made possible by a recent upgrade to the pier.
Zaandam is the largest ever boat to berth at the Caithness port when it visited on Saturday – weighing 61,396 tonnes and stretching to 781ft long.
Around 1,100 passengers were on board when it moored alongside St Ola Pier.
Scrabster is the most northerly mainland commercial port in the UK.
Last year, it completed a £40million transformation that had been taking place for over 10 years.
The upgrade to the St Ola Pier means the harbour is now deeper to allow for bigger ships to come into port.
Scrabster Harbour was a stop on Zaandam’s 19-day cruise called Voyage of the Vikings. It started in Rotterdam in the Netherlands and finishes in the US port of Boston.
The Holland America cruise company own the Zaandam, which has six restaurants and a casino onboard the luxury boat.
A boost for Scrabster and Caithness?
Passengers enjoyed a number of excursions around the local area before departing for the Icelandic port of Seydisfjordur.
Cruise liners play an important role in some coastal towns’ economies.
In the past few years, Kirkwall in Orkney has been the top cruise destination in the UK – with around 186 ships expected to arrive this year alone.
Jason Hamilton, harbour master at Scrabster Harbour Trust, said: “The visit of the Zaandam highlights the improved facilities and additional capacity we now have at Scrabster.
“We are looking forward to further large vessel calls before our 2022 season ends in September.”
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