TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff 3 has become the latest of nine new callers in Portsmouth to be handled by Southern Maritime Services (SMS) after making her debut visit as part of a round Britain voyage.
Mein Schiff 3, which is over 290 metres long, became the biggest cruise ship to call at Portsmouth International Port when her complement of more than 2,000 passengers arrived to embark on a series of excursions to local landmarks.
SMS’ sister company SCH has already handled the 99,000 tonnes ship in Southampton and Liverpool this year and she will make further calls in both South Coast ports during the season. Support included rope handling and waste services.
SMS will add to its experience with eight other new callers making their initial visits to Portsmouth this summer. Aurora Expeditions’ luxurious Greg Mortimer, Silversea Cruises’ Silver Endeavour and Swan Hellenic’s SH Vega have already made their first calls, embarking passengers.
In addition, SMS will handle the Residence at Sea vessel The World when she makes a three-day stopover, in June. Ambassador Cruise Line’s Ambition, Oceania’s Riviera, Viking Cruise’s Viking Neptune and AIDA Cruises AIDAmar make up the list of 2023 new callers.
SMS Operations Manager Louis Colpitts explained “The long list of ships making their maiden visits underlines the attraction of Portsmouth to lines calling in the UK, both for day calls and using the port as their turnaround hub. The port is now a favoured location for operators of smaller and medium sized cruise vessels.”
