Press release -

​Record number of cruise passengers to Stockholm

The 2015 cruise season closes on 21 October with the arrival of the cruise ship Marco Polo in Nynäshamn. By then more than half a million cruise passengers will have visited Stockholm. The number of cruise ships calling at Ports of Stockholm during the April – October season was 247, bringing a record high number of 530,000 passengers. Stockholm also saw a record number of turnarounds this season, with 53 vessels compared to the 42 of last year.

“Turnarounds are especially important for the tourist industry, as this means that passengers begin and/or end their cruise here and therefore often choose to spend an extra day and night ashore,” says Ports of Stockholm Managing Director, Johan Castwall. Among the turnaround vessels the Costa Luminosa called 16 times over the summer.

“The cruise passengers have spent more than SEK 0.5 billion on sightseeing, hotels, restaurants and shopping in Stockholm. Cruise tourism contributes greatly to the tourist industry and is a significant factor in our continued investment within the private segment,” says Caroline Strand, Head of Marketing and Analysis at the Stockholm Visitors Board.

In June the cruise ship M/S Britannia called at Stockholm. At 330 metres in length, she became the largest vessel ever to visit the city. Another vessel of the same length, the M/S Regal Princess, also called at Stockholm during the 2015 summer season.

Environmental facts

This year around 70 percent of the vessels offloaded their waste water during their call at Ports of Stockholm. Most of the cruise ships have their own water treatment facilities aboard and therefore do not need to offload waste water in port. Almost 95 percent of all cruise ships sort their solid waste at source.

  • Ports of Stockholm is one of the few ports in the world with the facilities to accept black and grey water from vessels, or in other words the waste water from toilets, showers and galley kitchens. Waste management facilities are available at all cruise ship quay-berths in Stockholm and offloading of waste is included in the port fee (harbour dues).
  • The port fee also includes offloading of domestic waste, and vessels that sort their waste at source are offered a reduced tariff.
  • From 1 January 2015 the vessel fuels used in the North Sea and in the Baltic Sea may only contain 0.1 percent sulphur.
  • Ports of Stockholm is working actively in several collaborations to minimize environmental impacts.
    • Facts about international cruise traffic at Ports of Stockholm

       

    Number Year 2015Year 2014Year 2013Year 2012
    Cruise ships247 264 278 275
    Of which are turnarounds53 42 47 50
    Passengers 530,000 467,000 478,000469,000

    Press image: M/S Britannia, available on Flickr: http://bit.ly/1ODs5s3

    Please contact us

    Ingrid Hansson, Public Relations Manager, Ports of Stockholm, +46(0)70-770 27 47, ingrid.hansson@stockholmshamnar.se

    Ann-Charlotte Jönsson, PR Manager Stockholm Business Region, +46 8 508 28 507, ann-charlotte.jonsson@stockholm.se

    Topics

    • Tourism

    Ports of Stockholm promotes shipping and ensures the supply of goods to the region by providing quay-berths and services for ferries, cruise ships and cargo vessels. Ports of Stockholm has ports located in Stockholm, Kapellskär and Nynäshamn. The Group has approximately 140 employees and had a turnover of SEK 713 million in 2014. 

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    Stockholm Business Region, with its subsidiaries Stockholm Business Region Development and Stockholm Visitors Board,  is the official investment and tourism promotion agency for the Stockholm region.  Stockholm is one of Europe’s most dynamic sustainable regions. Stockholm Business Region is fully owned by the City of Stockholm. Our common brand is Stockholm – The Capital of Scandinavia.

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