Nearly 200,000 cruise passengers will arrive at the Vigo dock throughout this year in a total of 81 planned stops to date.
The Transatlantic Pier will receive over 290,000 visitors this year, or the equivalent of the city's population.
During 2015 Vigo will receive visits from the most modern ships of the world's leading shipping companies, many of which are still in shipyard or have recently been launched.
The Port of Vigo will see a 12% increase in cruise passenger traffic in 2015 compared to the previous year. In total, the port will receive approximately 200,000 cruise passengers throughout the year, with 81 calls currently scheduled.
This was announced last Friday the 16th, at a press conference, by the President of the Vigo Port Authority, Ignacio López-Chaves, in which he highlighted the status of the Vigo Port which, once again, will maintain its status as leader of the entire north and northwest of the peninsula in terms of passenger numbers.
According to the top port official, the Transatlantic Dock will receive over 290,000 visitors this year – passengers and crew – or, in other words, “the equivalent of the city’s population,” which reaffirms the growth in passenger numbers already observed in 2014.
Main milestones
Among the most noteworthy data this year, López-Chaves highlighted the "significant" increase in port calls by ships belonging to Carnival UK, which includes the P&O and Cunard fleets. He stated that Carnival UK will increase its calls at the Port of Vigo fivefold throughout 2015, rising from 7 calls in 2014 to a total of 34 planned for the coming year. "This will mean a significant increase in the number of cruise passengers arriving in our city aboard these ships, from just over 14,600 in 2014 to nearly 95,000 expected in 2015," he pointed out.
Thus, the Port of Vigo will receive in 2015 the stops of the Queen Elizabeth, the usual and emblematic Queen Mary II and the Queen Victoria, owned by the Cunard Line, as well as the visits of the Oceana, the Oriana, the Arcadia, the Aurora, the Ventura, the Azura and the Britannia, of the P&O.
Inaugural stops
Regarding the inaugural port calls scheduled for this year, the port authority's top official highlighted the arrival of the Britannia—P&O's new flagship cruise ship, with a capacity for over 3,600 passengers—scheduled for April 9. Alongside it, the Vigo port will receive the inaugural visit of Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas on April 24. With 10 calls, it will replace the long-time Vigo port favorite, the Independence of the Seas, after its more than 100 calls in Vigo over the past few years. Furthermore, the Port of Vigo will welcome the Norwegian Epic, NCL's flagship cruise ship, on October 13, marking its return to Vigo; the Asuka II, from the Japanese company NYK (May 23); the Costa Favolosa from Costa Cruises (September 6); and the Explorer of the Seas (May 2), among others. According to López-Chaves, "these are the most modern ships from the world's leading shipping companies, many of which are still in shipyards or have recently been launched.".
Similarly, he announced that Vigo will once again be the site of important multiple stops by large cruise ships, while the most prominent months in terms of number of stops will be, as usual, May (with 17 stops), September (with 18) and October (with 11).
Furthermore, López-Chaves noted that the Port of Vigo will host a stop this year by the Disney Magic, the original cruise ship operated by Disney Cruise Line (part of the Walt Disney Company). Its stop in Vigo will take place on August 6th, as part of a 7-night Mediterranean cruise departing from Barcelona and Dover (England). It will visit the Port of Vigo on its fourth day, after a day at sea from the English port of Dover. Following its stop in Vigo, it will depart for Lisbon (Portugal), also visiting Gibraltar, before concluding its voyage in Barcelona. The Disney Magic has a capacity for approximately 2,400 passengers and 945 crew members, with a length of 294 meters, a beam of 32 meters, and a gross tonnage of 83,000. Only the Ports of Vigo and Barcelona will receive this Disney Cruise Line ship in Spain.
The Port of Vigo will receive a cruise ship carrying Japanese passengers for the first time in its history. On May 23rd, one of Japan's most luxurious vessels, carrying tourists from the Far East, will arrive at the Vigo docks. The Vigo harbor will thus welcome, for the first time, a ship from the Asian country, the Asuka II. This Japanese-flagged vessel is easily known for its luxurious amenities and the high prices tourists pay to travel on board. The ship will include Vigo in its round-the-world voyage, which will begin on April 4th and conclude on July 16th, after visiting more than thirty locations. In Spain, Vigo and Barcelona will be the only ports it visits. Its technical specifications include a length of 241 meters, a beam of 30 meters, a draft of 8 meters, and a gross tonnage of 48,621 GT. Considered the most luxurious cruise ship in Japan, the “Asuka II” has the capacity to accommodate 872 passengers and 470 crew members.
Maintaining Vigo's position
According to the Port Authority President, the goal of the Vigo institution is none other than to improve and maintain Vigo's position as the leading port in Northern Spain for cruise passengers. In fact, "the world's most important shipping lines continue to invest in Vigo," and this, in his opinion, is due to the intensive commercial work carried out year after year by the Vigo Port Authority, as well as the high levels of safety at its facilities, "something that the shipping lines themselves increasingly demand of us," he added.
“We want to be a cruise-friendly port, and for this reason we have made significant investments in infrastructure dedicated to cruise traffic, which will benefit Vigo both in terms of image and economically,” he concluded.
