The first cruise ships of the year call the port in Copenhagen

After a long, long wait, the first cruise ships of the season will arrive at our docks in Copenhagen this weekend. These are initially blue cruises, where passengers do not disembark but rather visit the city from the seaside. Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) has high expectations that cruise ship tourists soon will be allowed to visit the city again as part of the next phase of the gradual opening for travel activities.

There has been a lot of extra space in the port in Copenhagen and CMP’s cruise terminals since the cruise industry shut down last year due to the coronavirus pandemic and the associated travel restrictions. Last year’s season was cancelled, but it is CMP’s hope that more cruise ships will arrive this season, despite the continued uncertainties. Initially, however, it will be in the form of blue cruises, when M/S Mein Schiff 1 (TUI) makes a short visit at Langelinie on Saturday, 5 June, before the M/S Hanseatic Inspiration (Hapag-Lloyd Cruises) arrives on Sunday, the 6 June.

The ships have the possibility to make technical calls, i.e., to get rid of rubbish and wastewater, and pick up new supplies, however the passengers will not be able to go ashore. Both ships come from Germany and are touring the Baltic Sea primarily with German guests.

“It is, of course, gratifying that we will finally see cruise ships in the port of Copenhagen once again. Naturally, we would prefer it to be with passengers going ashore – as the city longs for tourists. And hopefully that is the next step. CMP has worked intensively with the cruise industry and the governmental authorities to ensure a safe restart of the cruise ship activities, and we at CMP are ready to accept all kinds of cruise calls in port and take care of them in a safe environment,” comments Barbara Scheel Agersnap, CEO of Copenhagen Malmö Port.

To ensure a safe and secure start-up of the cruise industry, both the port and the cruise lines operate with health protocols that harmonise with the guidelines which the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the national authorities have presented. Among other things, this means that both the passengers and the crew members must present several negative COVID-19 tests before boarding, and that the ships sail with a limited number of passengers to allow for social distancing on-board. 

For additional information, please contact:
Ulrika Prytz Rugfelt, PR & Corporate Communications Manager, Copenhagen Malmö Port AB
E-mail: ulrika.prytz@cmport.com, Telephone: +46 (0)702 52 00 98