Southampton port sees record number of cruise visits in May
May saw a record for the number of cruise ships visiting Southampton, Associated British Ports (ABP) has revealed, as it hailed progress at the key maritime destination on the south coast.
It said 26 different cruise ships had arrived in the month with more than 400,000 guests. Since January, nearly 1 million people have passed through the port, which is also the number one UK port for exports and contributes £2.5 billion to the UK economy each year.
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"What a fantastic month May was, we've had a great start to the year with January to April seeing an increase in cruise calls as the months progress and our summer season has started in earnest with a record 71 calls to the Port in May," said Thea George, senior cruise manager.
"It is great to see so many passengers come to our city and travel out of the Port on some of the most luxurious cruise ships."
She added that the port and the city were intrinsically linked with so much maritime history and it was "great to be part of making new history in the modern world of cruising".
Last year, the port welcomed 2.75 million passengers and the cruise sector generated over £1 billion for the local and regional economy and 2024 is well on its way to increasing these benefits to the local and regional economy.
Significantly, ABP noted it was seeing this year an increase in cruise ships using the shore power facility. In May, 20% of visits plugged into shore power, allowing them to switch off engines and achieve zero emissions while in the Port.
"This is a great initiative, and we are seeing the benefits of having this technology in the port as shore power technology is implemented on board more cruise ships," said Stuart Baker, Maritime UK Solent.
ABP Southampton is also working with GO! Southampton on an initiative called the Welcome Volunteer Programme, which sees passionate volunteers, stationed at the cruise terminals, guiding passengers and helping them make the most of their visit to Southampton.
Associated British Ports (ABP) is the UK’s leading ports group, with 21 ports and other transport-related businesses.
