May 30, 2008
The arrival of Hapag-Lloyd Cruise Line’s MV Bremen tomorrow, May 31st, to the Port of Saint John will mark the beginning of the 2008 cruise ship season for the Saint John Port Authority. The vessel will dock alongside Long Wharf at 1:00p.m. and will depart at 5:00 p.m. The first of 81 ships to arrive this year will bring approximately 180 passengers to Saint John. Port officials and our award-winning team of greeters will be on-hand to welcome the first arrivals of the season.
“The refined elegance of this European vessel will provide a great start to our Cruise ship Season that will see a record number of ships and passengers visit our City,” says Betty MacMillan, Manager, Business Development at the Saint John Port Authority. “We are expecting more than 185,000 passengers this year, which is estimated to have an economic impact of more than $20-million for the 2008 season, nearly $6-million more than last year.”
Construction continues on the new cruise terminal at Pugsley Terminal. “We anticipate completion before the high end of our cruise season begins in September,” explained Captain Alwyn G. Soppitt, President & CEO of the Saint John Port Authority, “During this time period, we will be directing the majority of our cruise traffic to our Long Wharf facility, with Pugsley Terminal coming into use on the days we expect multiple ships or to accommodate ships too large for Long Wharf. To this end, the Port Authority has developed an operational plan for Pugsley Terminal to ensure the efficient and safe movement of visitors into our city. This will include directing passengers to the north end of the pier, clear of construction and using Pugsley Park as the ground transportation area”
Long Wharf was established last season as a second cruise terminal for the Port and will be kept busy until the new cruise terminal facility is ready to be opened. The new gangways that were purchased last season and the tents will provide a first class welcome to disembarking passengers.
“After this first ship departs, the next arrival will be the Carnival Victory, on June 12th. making her the first of 23 calls to the Port City this season. This continued strong commitment from Carnival Cruise Lines is a significant contributor to the unprecedented growth that the Port of Saint John is witnessing in its cruise business,” Ms McMillan concluded.
The Grandeur of the Seas will be the first ship to dock at Pugsley A, on June 16th. This will also be the first multiple cruise ship day of the season. In all there will 14 multiple ship days this year, including our single biggest day ever on September 30th. On that day the Queen Mary 2, the Royal Princess, the Jewel of the Seas and the Carnival Victory will combine to bring 8500 passengers to the city. “You only have to go back to 1996 to get a sense of the growth that we’ve experienced in cruise,” observed Capt. Soppitt “in that year we had a total of 8 ships come to Saint John with a grand total of 8500 passengers for the entire season. Now we will achieve this number in just one day. This is a strong testament to the Bay of Fundy Product, the efforts of the people of Saint John, the support from our elected officials at all levels of government and the dedication and hard work of our volunteers and Port employees.”
The midway point of the season will feature an historic occasion. One very special guest will be welcomed to Saint John from a visiting cruise ship. That person will be our one millionth cruise ship passenger to visit our City. As can be expected, we plan to greet this guest with a welcome that will be remembered.
Cruise ships began to regularly call Saint John in 1989. The Port of Saint John is a commercially viable, self-sufficient business enterprise and a cornerstone of the local economy. It is a critical component of the region’s transportation infrastructure essential to many of New Brunswick’s major industries engaged in international trade and provides deep-water, ice-free access to shipping year round.
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MEDIA CONTACT
Bill Eaton
Manager, Government Relations and Public Affairs
