Record traffic expected at Shetland port
Viking Venus today (Wednesday 6 April, 2022) became the first cruise ship of the year to visit Lerwick in what is expected to be a record season at the Shetland port.
On board are 709 passengers, mainly from the USA and UK, with others from Canada, the Americas and Europe. Berthed at Victoria Pier, they are on a 15-day British Isles Explorer voyage from Tilbury, England, to Bergen, Norway.
The 229-metre Viking Venus is on a maiden call at Lerwick.
Melanie Henderson, Lerwick Port Authority Cruise & Marketing Manager, said: "it's exciting to finally have the new cruise season underway with the potential of a record 120-plus vessels and all that means for the Shetland economy and the recovery from the Covid-19 impact in the past two years.
“Reassuringly, the numbers, including perhaps almost 100,000 passengers, point to the growing popularity of Lerwick and Shetland as a destination, with a mix of return visits, maiden calls and first-time operators, including Ambassador Cruise Line and Swan Hellenic.”
Forecasts for adverse weather in the North Sea forced cancellations of visits to Lerwick by Viking Venus earlier this year. She is scheduled to call four more times this year, with visits by several other Viking vessels also booked.
Norwegian schoolship Gann berthed at Victoria Pier last week on its first visit of the year on a sail training charter carrying marine cadets. She will return in August in her role as a cruise ship with visitors on board.
The Port Authority will be represented at the Seatrade Cruise Global exhibition in Miami, Florida, from 26-28 April as a participant on the Cruise Scotland stand.
