GREENOCK Ocean Terminal is enjoying a cracking start to the cruise ship season.

This is one of the busiest weeks of the year, with no less than six vessels docking in four days – including two visiting vessels yesterday and another double arrival today.

The busy period began on Monday with Zuiderdam’s first call on the Clyde.
Yesterday saw Le Boreal and Astoria at the quayside, and today it welcomes L’Austral and Mein Schiff 1.

Tomorrow the 113,000-tonne Caribbean Princess returns for the second time this year.

More vessels than ever will call at the port this year, with Cunard’s majestic Queen Elizabeth making a return visit on June 30 and a Disney cruise ship making its first appearance here during the same month.

A total of 59 ship visits will take place at the terminal, three more than last year, bringing a total of 101,550 passengers.

Numbers are slightly down from 108,000 in 2015 but this is only due to the fact that the smaller Caribbean Princess is replacing sister ship Royal Princess.
Just 20,253 passengers passed through the port in 2007, but this increased to 92,678 in 2014.

Greenock set a new record in 2015 as the first Scottish port to welcome more than 100,000 passengers in one year.

Andrew Hemphill, former terminal manager and now port director of Clydeport, said the warm welcome given to passengers by local people was helping to make the terminal increasingly popular.

He believes spending by passengers will boost the Scottish economy by £10 million this year, with a ‘substantial’ portion of that going to Inverclyde shops, restaurants, taxis and other services.

Mr Hemphill said: “As well as passengers, we have 30,000 crew coming in on the ships and spending time in Inverclyde.

“One of the terminal’s attractions is that it’s so easy to walk from it into Greenock.

“The town has really been put on the map by the cruise ships.

“It’s been a huge team effort by the terminal to increase the number of ships.

“Passengers may be a bit apprehensive going into Greenock on what may be their first visit to Scotland, but they soon see the town for what it truly is — a warm, welcoming place with fantastic scenery.”

Plans to expand cruise ship facilities at the terminal have been passed as part of the £1 billion Glasgow and Clyde Valley City Deal scheme funded jointly by the UK and Scottish governments.

More than £14m will be used for an expansion of the quayside and construction of a state-of-the-art visitor facility.