Huge ships to berth in Liverpool as city prepares for record cruise season

Liverpool’s Cruise Terminal is celebrating a record start to its 10th year in operation.

The first 11 days of the 2017 cruise season will see 10 vessels berth on the Mersey – including the biggest turnaround ship to ever berth in the city.

The terminal is on course to welcome close to 20k passengers during its opening fortnight, generating a boost of around £1.5m for Liverpool’s tourism economy.

The season will kick off on Monday (June 5) with the Mersey debut of luxury liner Silversea.

The next day, travel operator Cruise & Maritime Voyages’ Magellan will dock in the city. With room for as many as 1,500 passengers, Magellan is the biggest vessel to turnaround in the city.

The week following, the Celebrity Eclipse liner will make its inaugural visit.

In total, 63 cruise ships are scheduled to arrive in the city over the course of 2017, bringing with them more than 111k passengers and crewmembers.

Liverpool’s cruise and operations manager, Peter Murney, said: “What better way to launch our 10th year than with a record-breaking start to a record-breaking season.

“The near non-stop schedule of arrivals will certainly invoke memories of the Mersey’s maritime heyday and with these special concerts we aim to give everyone a reason to celebrate the arrivals of these very special visitors to our river.”

He continued: “We’re delighted to be welcoming newcomers such as the Silver Whisper and Celebrity Eclipse and the Magellan is a highly notable landmark as it hints at the turnaround potential of the terminal over the coming decade.”

The terminal has welcomed 355 vessels since it opened in 2007, but the city council is now looking to expand Liverpool’s slice of the cruise sector.

Just recently, the authority appointed a technical team to develop a new permanent Cruise Passenger Facility.

A planning application for the £50m facility, which could be followed up with applications for a new 200-room hotel and giant multi-storey car park, is due for submission later this year.

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