Two large international cruise ships arrived at the Mussalo Harbour of the Port of HaminaKotka on 10 July. The two magnificent vessels occupying the quays were the Ms Costa Mediterranea more than 292 metres long and over 32 metres wide coming from Stockholm and the Ms AIDAmar approx. 253 metres long and more than 32 metres wide en route from Warnemünde in Germany.
The vessels brought a total of more than 5,300 cruise guests to Kotka. In addition, the crew members numbered more than 1,500 in all. The vessels stayed at the Port of HaminaKotka for 10 hours, after which they continued towards St Petersburg.
“Both the practical arrangements and security arrangements ran very well, and the weather was also good. The captains of both ships were satisfied with our services. Some of the passengers embarked on excursions while others came to see what Kotka has to offer,” says Markku Koskinen, Director, Traffic Operations of the Port of HaminaKotka in commenting on the busy day.
The Ms Costa Mediterranea arrived at Mussalo again on 17 July, bringing 2,500 cruise visitors. Most of the passengers got to know the attractions and services in the Kotka-Hamina region independently. In the evening, the ship continued towards St Petersburg.
More cruise guests are expected in September, when the ms Amadea will visit the Kantasatama Harbour on 16 September. Cruise traffic at the Port of HaminaKotka will also continue in the coming years. Reservations have already been made for the summer of 2018, and the objective is to have regular visits by cruise vessels, says Petra Cranston, who is responsible for the development of cruise traffic in Cursor Oy.
