Cruise News New Southampton Terminal Welcomes First Cruise Ship

(12.01 a.m. BST) — Southampton’s new cruise terminal welcomes its first ship today, MSC Virtuosa.

The Horizon Terminal will allow ship-to-shore power connectivity and is fitted with 2,000 solar panels — meaning it generates more energy than it uses.

Last year, Associated British Ports announced the new £55 million multi-user cruise terminal in partnership with MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd.

Alastair Welch, Director of ABP Southampton, said: “We’re incredibly proud to be building the infrastructure for the future of cruise with a commitment to sustainable operations.

“We marked the UK restart of cruise with .css-3bhubf{-webkit-transition:all 0.15s ease-out;transition:all 0.15s ease-out;cursor:pointer;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;outline:none;font-weight:500;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:dotted;color:#2062AE;border-color:#2062AE;}.css-3bhubf:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;border-bottom-width:1px;border-bottom-style:solid;}.css-3bhubf:focus{box-shadow:0 0 0 3px rgba(66,153,225,0.6);}.css-3bhubf:disabled,.css-3bhubf:disabled:focus,.css-3bhubf:disabled:hover,.css-3bhubf[aria-disabled=true],.css-3bhubf[aria-disabled=true]:focus,.css-3bhubf[aria-disabled=true]:hover{opacity:0.4;cursor:not-allowed;-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;}MSC Virtuosa leaving the port with the first passengers on 20 May and we’re excited to announce this next significant milestone for the future of cruise in the Port of Southampton.

“This next-generation-ready terminal strengthens the Port of Southampton’s position as Europe’s leading cruise turn-around port and is a huge vote of confidence in the future of cruise.”

Antonio Paradiso, Managing Director of MSC Cruises UK & Ireland, said: “Today marks another important moment for MSC Cruises in the UK as MSC Virtuosa becomes the first cruise ship to call at the new Horizon Cruise Terminal in Southampton, further enhancing the cruise experience for our guests.

We have a long term commercial partnership with ABP Southampton with a commitment that will see us bring even more guests to the port in the coming years, despite these challenging times, when Southampton will play a key part in our itineraries for international cruises.”

“We congratulate the Port of Southampton on the opening of the new Horizon Cruise Terminal,” said Howard Sherman, Executive Vice President of Destination Services and Onboard Revenue at Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings.

“This project marks the continuation of a long-standing partnership between Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings and the Port of Southampton. We look forward to the debut of Seven Seas Splendor, the first ship in our fleet scheduled to visit the new terminal this Autumn.”