fbpx

SCH and its sister companies have had their two busiest weekends since UK cruising restarted as August sees operations hit their peak.

Several thousands of passengers were handled as Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, Disney Line  and Celebrity Cruises get their UK cruise operations back on track following the pandemic.

Six calls were supported in Southampton, while sister company Southern Maritime Services (SMS)  were also busy in Portsmouth with another six calls over the two weekends.

Although passenger numbers are restricted by pandemic protocols, both ports are approaching pre-pandemic levels in ship calls. The addition of Disney Cruise Line’s Disney Magic has added to the Southampton workload, while Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady has made a significant difference to passenger throughput in Portsmouth.

The demand for short UK coastal cruises has led to a constant programme of ship calls, which also includes SCH’s operations in Liverpool where Fred Olsen Line is leading the regular line-up of callers.

Completing the company’s busy August schedule are valet car parking specialists Cruise and Passenger Services (CPS), who have also added Dover to their network this summer. In addition to supporting the SMS operations in Portsmouth, CPS have provided parking operations for passengers leaving and joining the P&O and Princess Cruises ships Iona, Britannia and Regal Princess on their weekend Southampton calls.

SCH Head of Cruise Operations Paulo Oliveira explained: “Our staff have done a great job at ports throughout the UK as we support a busy programme of cruise calls that has helped to make August our busiest cruise month for almost two years.”