The Port of Cork will invest over €1.5 million in upgrading facilities at Cobh Cruise Terminal, Ireland’s only dedicated cruise berth, with the installation of a number of high load mooring bollards at the east and west end of the Cobh Cruise Berth which will enable larger ships to be berthed.
The work which will commence before the end of January is expected to be completed by April 2015 in time to welcome the first cruise call on 24th April. In total, 55 cruise liners are scheduled to call to Cork in 2015, 10 of which are maiden calls and 20 of which will be carrying in excess of 3,000 passengers.
Speaking about the upgrades, Captain Michael McCarthy said “The Port of Cork Company is committed to developing the cruise business into Cork and these upgrades of our cruise berth in Cobh will enable us to accommodate ‘Quantum Class’ vessels which are the largest cruise liners currently operating in Europe. The global trend in the cruise industry is changing from smaller, high end ships to large ‘mega ships’ such the ‘Quantum Class’ vessels which can carry in excess of 4,000 passengers.
“Attracting these ‘mega ships’ to Cobh would be a huge advantage, not only for the Port but for the entire Cork region. We know that the cruise industry is worth between €13 and €14 million annually to Cork alone so there are some major opportunities for the tourist industry to capitalise on this.”
During the initial period of construction, there will be some temporary changes to parking at the east end of the Five Foot Way car park in Cobh and some limitations for pedestrian access. However the Port of Cork will ensure that any disruption is minimised and appreciates the understanding and co-operation from car park users whilst construction is underway.
