The luxury cruise ship Hanseatic Nature, handled by Marmedsa and owned by Hapag-Lloyd, docked yesterday at the Raos 2 pier in the port of Santander at 8:00 a.m. on its maiden voyage from Cherbourg, France. The vessel, carrying 116 passengers and 151 crew members, remained docked until 5:00 p.m., at which time it departed to continue its journey to the Portuguese port of Leixões.
To commemorate this first port of call and as a tribute to the ship's inaugural visit to the region, the President of Cantabria, Miguel Ángel Revilla, presented a commemorative plaque to the captain of the Hanseatic Nature, Ulf Sodemann, along with several books about Santander and Cantabria for the ship's library. Also participating in the ceremony were the Director General of Tourism, Marta Barca; the Councilor for Social Development of the Santander City Council, Lorena Gutiérrez; the President of the Port Authority of Santander, Francisco Martín; and the Director of the Port Authority, Santiago Díaz Fraile.
The arrival of the first luxury cruise ship of the season is “a sign of the recovery of cruise tourism, a high-spending industry that contributes to reducing the seasonality of tourism,” commented Francisco Martín, president of the Port Authority of Santander (APS). He added, “In such a difficult year due to the pandemic, it is excellent news that we have had new clients who have decided to call at our port.”.
Martín also pointed out that both the crew and the passengers visited the Autonomous Community in compliance with all the established health measures, both by the shipping company and by the national and local authorities.
The Port Authority of Santander continues its efforts to recover pre-pandemic cruise tourism levels, with the intention of expanding this type of tourism in the immediate future. In this regard, Javier López Marcano, Minister of Industry, Tourism, Innovation, Transport, and Trade for the Government of Cantabria, highlighted the alliance formed by the Port Authority of Santander, the Government of Cantabria, and the Santander City Council under the Santander Cruise Deluxe brand. This alliance aims to promote Cantabria as a cruise destination, presenting the region as a safe, sustainable, and innovative destination for both seasoned cruisers and those new to this mode of travel. Marcano emphasized the ongoing efforts to attract a significant portion of the annual cruises that sail through the Bay of Biscay, most of which originate from or are destined for the port of Southampton, UK.
