Last Friday (April 14th), mv Balmoral opened this year's cruise season in Kiel (Germany), and the city is expecting 221 cruise calls in the coming months.
Among the ships is MSC Euribia, which is one of the most modern and eco-friendly cruise ships and will start her first season from Kiel.
Kiel is a well-established home port for major shipping companies, such as AIDA, TUI, Costa, and MSC, and is one of Germany's largest homeports. It has been gaining popularity as a transit port for international shipping companies for several years, offering a wide range of attractive excursion destinations in the region, including UNESCO natural and cultural monuments and its proximity to Hamburg.
DCL-Disney, Fred Olsen UK, RSSC-Regent Seven Seas, NCL-Norwegian, and HAL-Holland America are some of the companies visiting Kiel in 2023. The port has a rich maritime history, and its call in June will coincide with the famous Kiel Week Regatta.
Port Kiel is setting clear sustainability goals for this season by supplying one-third of the cruise calls with shore-side power, together with the shipping companies. Dirk Claus, Managing Director at PORT OF KIEL, states that they want to set a clear example in the industry.
The port is currently investing in a multi-million-euro project to expand the shore power infrastructure and will offer shore power at all major cruise terminals from autumn 2023, making it one of the most extensive shore power infrastructures in Europe.