Busy cruise year for Grand Harbour

Valletta is expected to host 158 turnaround operations involving the handling of over 78,700 cruise passengers in 2002. It is anticipated that at this level of activity it will overtake famous ports like Civitavecchia, Tenerife and the French Riviera ports.

These turnarounds complement over 300 other bookings for cruise vessel calls, with a total capacity of a further 230,000 passengers.

For 2002, Valletta ranks among the top 10 base-ports in the Mediterranean and Northern European cruise region.

This results from a report about cruise activity in the Mediterranean and Northern Europe, which featured in this year`s first quarter edition of GP Wild`s Cruise Market Monitor, one of the foremost authorities on passenger shipping.

This report further puts Valletta in fifth place in a category of West Med and Atlantic Island ports with which it is grouped.

It followed the conclusion of the Seatrade Cruise Convention and Exhibition in Miami, Florida.

Although late last year passenger handling facilities in Valletta were handed over to the private sector, the Malta Maritime Authority was still present at this event, together with other members of the Maltese port community and VISET, the private consortium that took over passenger handling in Valletta.

Although Malta already hosts most of the cruise companies operating in the Mediterranean, substantial interest was shown in the Malta product, particularly in respect of the recently commenced Pinto area project that includes the construction of two new passenger terminals.

In 2001, Malta hosted over 273,500 passengers, over 50 per cent more than in the previous year.

Newcomers this year include new ships like P&O Princess Cruises` Golden Princess, Residensea`s The World, Festival Cruises` European Stars and Silversea Cruises` Silver Whisper, apart from maiden calls by Windstar Cruises` Wind Surf, Island Cruises` Island Escape, Aida Cruises` Aida Cara and Seetours` A` Rosa Blu.