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I received this press release from the Port of Kiel and thought it
would be of interest. If you have missed any of my news' postings,
they are available on my web site.
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Ray
LIGHTHOUSE TRAVEL
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Kiel increases importance as tourist destination -
HAL ships “Eurodam” and “Rotterdam” pay joint call at the Ostseekai
Kiel, June 11, 2009
For the first time ever, two big cruise ships of the respected Holland
America Line (HAL) have called at the Port of Kiel together. About
3,500 mainly American passengers used the visit, on Thursday June
11th, for day excursions, most of them in the state of
Schleswig-Holstein or to Hamburg. Dirk Claus, Managing Director of the
Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co. KG) said “Kiel is known mainly
as a port where cruise ships switch passengers, but it is now also
gaining in importance as a tourist destination”. Transit guests
currently account for about 15% of all cruise passengers in the port
and that figure is expected to rise. “So I am delighted that we have
succeeded, thanks to the good co-operation with the firm of Sartori &
Berger, in attracting the Holland America Line to Kiel”, Claus added.
Kiel offers attractive land excursions to North German tourist
sights, ranging from regional panorama and city tours to cycle and
SuperSail-RIB-boat excursions and trips to Hamburg and to the Hansa
city of Lüneberg. “Tour organisers Sartori & Berger and E-L-S have a
wide and well-organised programme”, said Dirk Claus. “Our
international guests can discover, in the most pleasant way possible,
that the North German holiday region has much to offer. Kiel’s port is
a good place to start and whether passengers visit Kiel and its
surrounding areas, the Hansa cities or the metropolis of Hamburg, I am
certain that many of them will return in the years to come.”
The first of the two HAL cruise ships to call on June 11th, the
86,000 GT, 285 metre-long “Eurodam”, arrived at the Ostseekai at about
6 a.m.. She was followed about an hour later by the 60,000 GT, 238
metre-long “Rotterdam”. Both received the traditional water-fountain
welcome from the fire-fighting ship “Kiel” before being escorted to
their berths. Kiel Lord Mayor Angelika Volquartz passed on the
greetings of the federal state capital at a reception on board
“Rotterdam” while Dirk Claus presented a first-call commemorative
plaque to Captain Henrik Krombeen. Spectators on land enjoyed an extra
special sight early evening when the two luxury liners cast off
together at 5 p.m. and set sail for their next stop, Copenhagen.
The Port of Kiel operates the commercial port on behalf of the
Schleswig-Holstein state capital of Kiel and is a 100% subsidiary
company of the City. Kiel boasts three passenger terminals for cruise
ships – Ostseekai, Norwegenkai and Schwedenkai – all in city centre
locations. This year, 117 calls have been booked by 20 different
ships. By the time the season ends, as many as 250,000 passengers will
have joined or left a cruise ship in Kiel.
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