The luxury cruise ship 'Bolette' , operated by the Norwegian company Fred Olsen Cruise Line, has docked in Castellón with 500 tourists on board, most of them British. This is the first cruise ship to arrive in Castellón since the suspension of cruise activity due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ship entered the port area early this morning and docked at the PortCastelló cruise terminal, having sailed from Dover, England. It is 237 meters long, with a total capacity of 1,338 passengers and 615 crew members. However, in compliance with the passenger reduction protocol for better virus contact tracing, it is traveling at 60% capacity, with all passengers and crew members fully vaccinated.
The Port Authority of Castellón and all involved entities have followed all the guidelines and safety and prevention measures outlined in the Covid-19 Control and Prevention Protocol for handling cruise ships during the pandemic. These measures include maintaining social distancing, reducing physical contact, reinforcing cleaning and disinfection protocols, and facilitating any procedures related to disembarkation.
In addition, a space has been designated to isolate and safeguard any suspected cases of the virus.
The excursions offered are the "Castellón Walking Tour," which takes in various points of interest in the city, such as Ribalta Park, the Central Market, Plaza Mayor, and the Basilica of Lledó. The Castelló City Council has provided two free shuttle buses running every half hour, each with a capacity of 50 passengers, although their capacity has been limited to half.
In addition, tourists have been able to choose excursions to the Desert de les Palmes Natural Park, the coast of Benicàssim, Peñíscola, and Valencia. It's important to remember that health and safety protocols require strict control over passenger movement and interactions, and passengers have been disembarking in stages since early this morning.
The president of the Port Authority of Castellón, Rafa Simó, accompanied by the director of PortCastelló, José María Gómez, and the councilor for Tourism, Pilar Escuder, presented a plaque to the ship's captain as a memento of his first stop in the port of Castellón.
The Bolette cruise ship is the first of two cruises scheduled for this year. The second, the Amera from Phoenix Reisen, is scheduled to arrive on November 9th.
