Portland Port businesses receive Regal tour
Representatives of businesses based at Portland Port were invited to look onboard the Regal Princess, a 141,000 tonne cruise ship operated by Princess Cruises, as it pulled into the port for 12 hours on August 13.
The port employs 53 staff, with a further 220 people employed by commercial port occupiers, including dry and liquid bulk cargo businesses.
Regal Princess was at the port to mark the start of its fully booked 12-day cruise around the British Isles, having sailed from Southampton.
Ian McQuade, Portland Port’s Commercial General Manager, and Chair of Cruise Britain, said: “Businesses at the port have seen our cruise activity grow and develop over recent years – this was a lovely opportunity to provide our customers with a tour of the Regal Princess, with lunch onboard.”
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A total of 57 cruise calls have been booked in at the port for this year, with 130,000 passengers set to travel.
The port benefits the local economy in Portland and Weymouth by by around £10 million annually.
Ian McQuade confirmed that bookings from cruise lines planning their itineraries are already being taken for next year, 2025 and 2026.
He said: “The £26 million investment in our newly redeveloped deep-water berth, officially launched in June, also means cruise ships of up to 350m in length can now be accepted rather than having to go elsewhere.
“Regal Princess was berthed at the facility which has been in regular use since it opened to shipping.
“In the last eight years the port has invested more than £40 million in developing infrastructure and more than £3 million in repairs and maintenance; it is this investment that has enabled the port’s continued growth and development, not least in the growth of the cruise business.”
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