The Maud has not only made its maiden voyage to the Port of Waterford, but – due to Covid-19 travel disruption – it is also the first cruise vessel in over two years to be welcomed into the port.
Details
The Maud expedition cruise vessel, from the Norwegian cruise line company Hurtigruten, will travel from the Isle of Man with 528 passengers on board and 300 crew members. The Maud is named after a polar vessel from Roald Amundsen’s Maud, from 1917.
The Port of Waterford Company, along with harbour master Captain Darren Doyle, welcomed the vessel and its captain on its maiden voyage to Waterford with a presentation of a Waterford Crystal Ships Decanter.
The Maud will make nine more visits to the Port of Waterford this summer, and it will berth at Belview Port, with some others scheduled to berth at Frank Cassin Wharf and at Dunmore East, where passengers will travel ashore via tender.
The passengers from the Maud will visit Waterford Crystal, the Waterford Treasures Museum at the Viking Triangle, Lismore, the Copper Coast and Kilkenny City.
Waterford will also welcome one of the largest vessels in the business this year, as the $900 million Celebrity Apex vessel visits in June, July and August, with over 3,000 passengers on each occasion. The vessel was completed in May of 2019 and will make its maiden call to Waterford this summer.
Statement By Port Captain
Port Captain Doyle stated, “We are delighted to again welcome cruise vessels back to the Port of Waterford. This has been a much-anticipated day, as it has been over two years since we waved goodbye to our last cruise vessel.
“We look forward to welcoming some 27 cruise vessels between now and the end of September, with a total of 35,000 passengers and 16,000 crew members, which will all deliver a much-needed boost to the regional tourism economy, to the tune of €3,500,000 this summer.”
Statement By The Port Of Waterford’s Chief Executive
The chief executive of the Port of Waterford, Frank Ronan, stated, “Today is a momentous one. It is the day that we begin to rebuild the robust cruise line business of the Port of Waterford Company of pre-pandemic times. The team here have put much work into delivering a schedule of vessels for the region this summer, and now that the cruise business is back on the seas again, it offers us even further opportunity to build on the business for Waterford and the entire south-east region into the future.”
© 2022 Hospitality Ireland – your source for the latest industry news. Article by Dave Simpson. Click subscribe to sign up for the Hospitality Ireland print edition.
