Valet parking specialist Cruise and Passenger Services (CPS) and its sister companies will handle around 500 cruise ship transfer calls in 2023 as the industry continues its post-pandemic recovery.
CPS will provide valet parking in Southampton, Liverpool and Portsmouth, plus Dover. In total, more than 350 ships will be supported by CPS during the year.
Activities in Southampton are set to reach unprecedented levels with P&O operating its new mega cruise ships Arvia and Iona in tandem from the port. Up to 5,000 passengers will embark on every ship call, with significant numbers booking valet parking.
In addition, CPS subsidiaries SCH and Southern Maritime Services (SMS) will build on their 2022 cruise ship activity at Southampton and Portsmouth, providing their established baggage handling, stores loading and mooring services.
Royal Caribbean International (RCI), Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Voyages will again form the backbone of the cruise handling business in Southampton, operating a full programme of holidays primarily to the Mediterranean. RCI’s Anthem of the Seas will be the most frequent caller, with the ship being based in Southampton for her fourth successive season.
Fred Olsen Line and Saga Cruises will both be important contributors to business in Portsmouth.
Some 80 turnaround and day calling cruise ships are expected in Portsmouth in 2023, with Saga’s Spirit of Discovery and sister ship Spirit of Adventure together making nearly 30 turnaround calls. In addition, regular Portsmouth callers such as Noble Caledonia and Oceania Cruises will also use the port for passenger turnaround operations.
SCH Cruise Operations Manager Louis Colpitts explained: “2023 will take us back towards pre-pandemic volumes of cruise business, with CPS set for a particularly busy year supporting the two biggest P&O vessels and other ships from the Carnival fleet in Southampton.”
