CentrePort Wellington Ready for Another Bumper Cruise Season

October 3, 2017

New Zealand’s CentrePort Wellington has welcomed the first ship of the 2017/18 cruise season, Radiance of the Seas, which brings with it another busy season.

The 90,000-ton Radiance of the Seas is owned by Royal Caribbean International and started service in 2001.

Derek Nind, Chief Executive Officer of CentrePort, said Wellington stands to benefit from “another bumper season”, following the 12% increase in ship calls last season.

“We’re expecting to welcome more than 80 ships and 230,000 plus visitors,” Nind informed.

There will be three inaugural ship calls this cruise season, from the Norwegian Jewel, Viking Sun and Asuka II, as disclosed by CentrePort.

Kevin O’Sullivan, New Zealand Cruise Association Chief Executive, pointed out that CentrePort’s “effective response” to last year’s earthquake shows it recognizes the importance of cruise visits to the region.

“CentrePort didn’t miss an operational beat following last year’s earthquake, accepting their next cruise ship call days after the event. It’s great to see them preparing for another successful cruise season,” O’Sullivan further said.

In September, CentrePort resumed container operations by making its two ship-to-shore cranes operable again, following the last November’s Kaikoura earthquake. This has enabled a number of shipping lines to return to Wellington.