Porto Cruise Terminal at the Port of Leixões (Portugal) completed 11 consecutive turnaround operations for TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 6 between July 2nd and September 10th, 2026, marking the largest series of turnaround calls handled at the terminal to date.
Across the 11 calls, the terminal processed 54,351 passengers and 10,000+ crew members. Passenger movements comprised 24,387 embarkations, 24,334 disembarkations and 5,630 transit passengers, with the majority of the passengers being German nationals, an important source market for the port.
The scale of the operations required coordination between the terminal, cruise line, port agency, ground handling and other service providers. Capasiar Unipessoal, Lda. provided port agency and husbandry services, while Intercruises Shoreside & Port Services managed passenger travel and associated ground logistics.
Built in 2017 by Meyer Turku in Finland, Mein Schiff 6 is operated by TUI Cruises primarily for the German-speaking market. The ship measures 295 metres in length, has a beam of 35 metres and a gross tonnage of 99,500. It can accommodate ~2,700 passengers and 1,000 crew.
During the 11 weeks, Leixões served as the ship’s homeport for Atlantic itineraries. Most of the ~50,000 turnaround passengers arrived on weekly charter flights from several German cities before beginning their cruises from Porto. The operations therefore generated passenger flows into Porto and northern Portugal, with visitors spending on accommodation, transport, food and other tourism services before and after their cruises.
In addition to the 11 Mein Schiff 6 turnarounds, Leixões handled 9 other turnaround operations during 2026, bringing the annual total to 20. According to the port, this represents a 67% increase in turnaround calls compared with the previous year, while the number of passengers more than doubled.
Port Authority of Leixões President João Pedro Neves said the increase reflected greater confidence among cruise lines in Leixões and strengthened the port’s role as a homeport on Europe’s Atlantic coast.
The relationship with TUI Cruises is scheduled to expand further in 2027. Following 5 turnaround operations hosted during the previous year, the Porto Cruise Terminal is scheduled to handle 6 additional TUI Cruises turnarounds in 2027, involving ~30,000 turnaround passengers.