The record for the largest cruise ship to visit Lerwick is expected to be broken twice next year in what is already shaping up to be the Shetland port’s busiest season.
Lerwick will be visited by P&O Cruises’ 115,055-tonne Azura on June 30; followed by Celebrity Cruises’ 122,210-tonne Celebrity Silhouette on August 14, with passenger capacities of 3,096 and 2,886 respectively.
Harbour bosses are anticipating new records for passengers – estimated at 50,925 – as well as vessel numbers and total gross weight, which are predicted to be 70 and 2.1million tonnes respectively.
The forecasted highs for the harbour follow a weather-hit 2015 season, when cancellations reduced bookings by eight.
Lerwick Port Authority (LPA) senior commercial executive Victor Sandison said: “Bad weather at sea reduced arrivals, with a number of last-minute call-offs, including large vessels, which hit passenger numbers.”
The season was extended at 48-hours’ notice last Sunday due to the arrival of the Hapag-Lloyds’s Hanseatic, described as “the world’s only five-star expedition ship”, from Akureyri, Iceland, after a voyage to Greenland.
Hanseatic brought the season totals at Lerwick to 41 vessels, weighing 1,242,971 gross tonnes and carrying 30,430 passengers – all below previous records.
The 2016 cruise ship season is due to run from April 24 to October 6, with June and July expected to be the busiest months after 16 and 21 calls respectively.
Bookings for next year include 10 maiden visits by Orkney first-timers including Viking Ocean Cruises’ Viking Sea and Viking Star.
Mr Sandison said: “In a highly competitive market, cruise operators are spoiled for choice and appear to be juggling different destinations in different years to refresh itineraries.
“It’s definitely our turn next season and 2017 is also already looking good, with 28 advance bookings so far at 1,387,724 gross tonnes and an estimated 31,000-plus passengers.”
Next season’s predicted numbers will mean a busy time for Lerwick’s “meet and greet” team, providing leaflets and maps as well as traditional Shetland music on the quayside.
LPA’s marketing programme for 2016 includes participation as a member of the Cruise Scotland organisation at the Seatrade Cruise Global event in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, from March 14 to 17.