#HistoricCruiseDay – A historic occasion for Waterford City Quays, as for the first time ever a record total of three cruiseships are visiting Ireland's oldest city today, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The Port of Waterford are host to some 500 crew and more than 900 passengers. The visitors are to experience the south-eastern city established by the Vikings. Likewise of those invading Longboats, the cruiseships Seabourn Legend, Hamburg and Silver Cloud sailed upriver of Waterford Estuary to dock along the Suir.
Benefitting from the influx of tourists in bringing an economic boost are the business community, key tourist attractions and to those in the surrounding hinterland.
Seabourn Legend and Hamburg berthed closer to the Rice Lift Bridge at the North Quay while the largest caller in terms of gross registered tonnage (grt), Silver Cloud, moored further downriver at the Frank Cassin Wharf.
Listed below are some details about the cruiseship callers.
Seabourn Legend (1992 /9,961grt) Operator: Seabourn Cruises Passengers: 208 Crew: 164
Hamburg (1997/15,067grt) Operator: Hapag-Lloyd Passengers: 408 Crew: 170
Silver Cloud (1994/16,927grt) Operator: Silversea Cruises Passengers: 300 Crew: 210
By coincidence the cruiseships all fly the Bermuda flag.
Take note!... this evening all three cruiseships are to depart within a short timeframe of each other between 7.30-8pm (elements permitting). So there' a unique opportunity to see the shipping spectacle for both cruise-goers and onlookers alike.
An excellent vantage point is from the city-quays Millennium Plaza (near Reginald's Tower) as this faces opposite the Frank Cassin Wharf on the Co. Kilkenny side of the Suir.
It is at this quayside where the former Irish owned Bell Lines Container Terminal stood. The traditional city-centre port was shifted in the 1990's to a brand new deepwater terminal downriver at Belview, as the main port of Waterford.
The company was aquired by Irish Continental Group (ICG) and as previously reported, the group this week released mid-year financial results, for more click HERE.
