Santander, September 26, 2017. The cruise ship "Boudicca," belonging to the Fred Olsen company and handled by Pérez y Cía, docked today at the Almirante Wharf of the Maritime Station, marking its first call at the port of Santander. The vessel, 206 meters in length, has 733 passengers, mostly British, and 374 crew members on board.
The cruise ship entered the port at 7:30 a.m., arriving from the port of Avilés, and is scheduled to depart at 6:00 p.m. bound for the port of Bilbao. Some of the passengers will take excursions around the city to see its main attractions, while others have chosen to visit other towns such as Santoña, Potes, or Castro Urdiales.
Furthermore, with the aim of ensuring that all passengers receive the necessary information about the activities and visits they can make, the City Council has provided maps and brochures to passengers, while the Regional Government's tourist information office, located in the Maritime Station, will remain open from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to assist cruise passengers.
To commemorate this first stop in the Cantabrian port, the director of the Port Authority, Cristina López, the Councilor for Tourism, Miriam Díaz, the Coordinator of the Tourist Information Service of the Tourism Office of the Government of Cantabria, Carolina Gómez Paniagua and the representative of the consignee, Jose Sanchez-Barcaiztegui presented a plaque to the captain of the ship, Juha Sartela.
On Thursday, the port will receive the second cruise ship scheduled to dock in Santander this week. It is the "Aurora," a vessel belonging to the P&O company, which will be handled by Pérez y Cía and will bring 1,950 passengers on board, mostly British, and 810 crew members. This is also the ship's first visit to the port, and authorities will present a commemorative plaque to the captain. The cruise ship, which is 270 meters long, will arrive from Southampton and depart at 4:30 p.m. bound for El Ferrol. Passengers are scheduled to take excursions to Santillana del Mar, Cabárceno Wildlife Park, Comillas, San Vicente de la Barquera, and the city of Santander itself.
As for the third cruise ship arriving in Santander this week, the “Prinsendam” will dock on Friday at 7:00 a.m. from Bordeaux and depart at 6:00 p.m. for Lisbon. This ship, belonging to the Holland America Line, will be handled by Erhardt and will carry 790 passengers, mostly from the United States, and 428 crew members. Measuring 204 meters in length, this vessel previously visited Santander in 2008.
To conclude the cruise season, the Port will receive the “ Hanseatic ” on October 4th . This ship, which already called at Santander in 2007, belongs to the German shipping company Hapag Lloyd.
The City Council, the Regional Government and the Port Authority are working together at all levels to ensure that Santander consolidates its position as a cruise destination, as this market has a significant impact on both the service sector and commerce.
