GREENOCK is on course for another record cruise call season with over 80 ships and nearly 200,000 passengers expected during 2020.

Ocean Terminal bosses are preparing for a bumper year of stop-offs, including the return of magnificent Cunard liner Queen Mary 2 for the first time since 2015 and the giant 4,000-guest MSC Splendida.

For the first time, vessels will dock at a specially-built 200-metre cruise ship pontoon just along the quayside from the current berth.

It is being constructed as part of the new £19 million Greenock Ocean Terminal development being delivered by Inverclyde Council in partnership with operators Peel Ports Clydeport.

A total of 83 vessels - some visiting more than once - and 180,000 tourists are expected over the course of the season.

That is six more ships than in 2019 and an additional 33,000 passengers.

Andrew Hemphill, port director, said: "This will be another record year.

"It's been years in the planning to deliver what we've always wanted - a dedicated cruise berth for Greenock. "That will also allows us to grow the container terminal, which is what the terminal was first built for.

"One of the highlights of the cruise call season for me is Queen Mary 2 because it's one of the largest and most iconic ships in the world - and she's coming back for the first time in five years. "I'm also looking forward to seeing Splendida returning and for the arrival of Regal Princess, which can carry over 4,500 passengers and crew."

The cruise call season begins in earnest on May 2 with the arrival of MSC Splendida - one of four visits in total during 2020 - with QM2 due in on August 12.

A second Cunard liner, Queen Victoria, is booked for June 14.

Regal Princess will call a whopping 13 times between May and September.

The other highlights include the return of Disney Magic, three stop-offs from Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas, eight calls from Celebrity Reflection and another familiar sight in Seven Seas Explorer, which is regarded as the 'world's most luxurious ship' and will dock twice.

Visits from the smaller Hebridean Princess - a regular to Greenock and a favourite in the past of the Queen - sandwiched at either end of the cruise call season with stopovers throughout March and November.

The vessel count is up by nearly eight per cent on 2019 while passenger numbers is up by over a fifth year-on-year.

Greenock man Craig Collins, business unit manager for the ocean terminal, said: "I'm looking forward to seeing Regal Princess, which is one of the bigger Princess ships, and the Cunard liners as well.

"With the new terminal building, we hope to further enhance the experience of passengers who pass through here.

"The total investment we've put in is over £12m and will ensure that Greenock is on the cruise map for years to come.

"This shows the commitment from Peel Ports to Greenock."

The new ocean terminal development is thanks to a £10m cash injection from the Glasgow City Deal scheme - funded by the UK and Scottish governments - plus £8m from Peel Ports and a £1.5m grant from arts charity, the Dunard Fund.

The pontoon will be ready for the first cruise call on May 2 with the visitor centre, which will include a restaurant and gallery honouring late Gourock artist George Wyllie, due later this year.