Southampton: ABP port named best for UK departures

ABP’s port of Southampton was announced as the Best UK Departure Port at the inaugural Wave Awards held on February 18. It beat 11 other British ports to take the title.

The Wave Awards recognise and celebrate excellence within the cruise-holiday sector and cover all aspects of the industry, from both a consumer and trade perspective.

The port was selected as winner by an editorial panel of World of Cruising, Cruise Ports & Destinations and Cruise Trade News at the awards ceremony held in Royal Garden Hotel, London.

Southampton, the National Transport Awards’ Port of the Year 2015, is not only the UK’s leading cruise port but also Europe's number-one turn-around cruise port.

As well as being the home port for world-famous vessels such as Cunard's Queen Mary 2, the port regularly hosts cruise-industry occasions including the launch of the UK’s biggest-ever purpose-built cruise ship, Britannia. It is set to exceed its previous passenger-departure number of 1.75 million cruise passengers this year.

Two of the port’s four cruise terminals, Mayflower Terminal and City Cruise Terminal, have seen multi-million pound investments, and a £5 million refurbishment is well underway at the QEII Cruise Terminal. The works will enable the port to cater for the world’s largest cruise vessels long into the future.

Clive Thomas, port manager, said: "ABP Southampton prides itself on providing an excellent departure experience for all cruise passengers and it is fantastic to be recognised for this quality service by the Wave Awards judging panel.”