From July, the cruise port of Valletta will be the home port for the Viking Venus and Viking Sea cruises, which will run two different 11-day round-trip Mediterranean itineraries for vaccinated guests.
This news has been welcomed by the Maltese Minister of Tourism and Consumer Protection, Clayton Bartolo. “The way Viking Cruises will operate is a clear example of how tourism and public health can work well together. With this operation, American tourists will spend time on our islands, which will have a positive impact on our local economy,” commented Minister Bartolo.
Stephen Xuereb, Chief Operating Officer of Global Ports Holding and CEO of Cruise Port Valletta, commented: “Despite the pause in cruise operations, we have been very busy at Cruise Port Valletta, where, together with a number of stakeholders, we have worked tirelessly on several initiatives, including a shore-to-ship electrical infrastructure development project in the Grand Harbour. It is gratifying that Cruise Port Valletta has been awarded the World Travel & Tourism Council’s Safe Travels stamp, based on enhanced protocols. Thanks to this process, Cruise Port Valletta was well prepared to welcome back its first cruise ship calls in August last year. Furthermore, Cruise Port Valletta, together with local authorities and partners, has worked on COVID-19 Cruise Operations Guidelines for the safe continuation of cruising, with the aim of facilitating operations during this transition phase. These guidelines have now been approved.” operational guidelines were established earlier this year. It is thanks to these rigorous exercises that we are now able to welcome these port calls. Testing, reduced ship capacity, strict hygiene practices, social distancing, and vaccination are some of the measures that will ensure continuity and a pleasant, safe, and enriching experience for guests in the future.”.
The Port of Valletta Cruises expects a phased return to operations, with an estimated 150,000 passenger movements across more than 100 port calls expected for the remainder of the year.
In addition, Valletta Cruise supports a €49.9 million initiative led by Infrastructure Malta and Transport Malta to develop onshore electrical infrastructure. The first of these two-phase projects includes a €37 million investment to provide shore power at the Grand Harbour's five main cruise ship piers by the end of 2023. Excavation work has begun, and each pier will be equipped with onshore transformers and shore-to-ship connection panels, enabling ships to switch off their combustion engines and run on electricity as soon as they berth. Work is currently underway at Pinto 4-5.
