In the first six months of the 2013 cruising season, the Port of Hamburg recorded a total of 271,317, an increase in passenger numbers of 23.8% compared to the same six months last year, the Port said in a statement, adding that it handled 91 cruise calls in the review period.
In May 2013 alone, 100,019 passengers from a total of 38 calls were handled at the cruise terminals in Altona, HafenCity and Überseebrücke. The record-breaking month of May has consequently delivered almost 36% of the total passengers handled in the first six months of 2013.
The proportion of turnaround guests that began or ended their cruise here constituted 94.5% of the total passenger volume in the first half-year.
“For the second half of the year, Hamburg Cruise Center is expecting another 85 calls with nigh-on 230,000 passengers. As a result of the disproportionate growth, the cruise port of Hamburg will now hit the half-million passenger mark this year and thus confirm the expectations voiced at the beginning of 2013. This once again emphasises the essential importance of expanding capacities in order to meet the future challenges presented by the growing size of cruise ships,” the port said.
