With the stopover on Saturday, August 21, of the luxury cruise ship Seadream I, Vigo has become the first port in northern Spain to recover cruise traffic after almost a year and a half, since the last visit of the P&O Oceana on March 11, 2020.
To commemorate this resumption of traffic so important to the city, a special welcome took place with the participation of a Galician traditional music and dance group and the presence of the President of the Port, Mr. Jesús Vázquez Almuíña, who personally received the cruise ship at the foot of the dock.
With this stopover, Vigo joins the group of Spanish ports that have gradually recovered passenger traffic since the Spanish government lifted the ban on international itineraries last May, a result of the successful previous experience of the Canary Islands ports in cruises with exclusively national itineraries, to which other ports in the Mediterranean and southern Spain were added during the summer months.
The end of the ban was accompanied by a series of measures enacted by the Ministry of Health, including strict health protocols for shipping companies. These measures included a considerable reduction in maximum onboard capacity, vaccination and/or PCR testing before boarding and repeat PCR or antigen tests during the itinerary, excursions in small groups (with the option of a "bubble" to avoid contact with the local population and reduce risk), staggered meal times, boarding and disembarkation times, and so on. This demanding protocol was in line with European guidelines, which many countries have used as a basis for establishing their own regulations.
During its stop in Vigo, the Seadream I operated at less than 30% of its capacity, and all measures stipulated by current health regulations were implemented. Furthermore, the Port Authority has a specific protocol for cruise ship calls that includes procedures designed to promote active social distancing and COVID-19 prevention measures both inside the terminals and in the exterior access control areas, restricted areas, and passenger transit zones under its management. Additionally, and in accordance with regulations, a space has been designated for External Health personnel for secondary health inspections or for managing any potential incidents that may require it.
According to data from the shipping industry association CLIA, this pandemic period has meant the loss of 20,000 jobs for the sector, after a year like 2019 in which, with almost 11 million passengers, the contribution of the cruise industry generated a business volume in Spain of almost 6 billion euros, providing employment (direct, indirect and induced) to more than 50,000 people.
During its stop in Vigo, the Seadream has shared a dock with the Azzam, the world's longest private megayacht, which is completing its repairs in Vigo; and with another cruise ship, the World Explorer, the first polar expedition vessel built in Portugal, owned by the Portuguese company Mystic Cruises, which has been in Vigo for several weeks on a technical stop, and which plans to resume its activity from October with itineraries through Antarctica.
