The new Berth 1 cruise ship handling facility
Kiel now has a third berth for big cruise ships. During a ceremony in the Ostuferhafen on Sunday morning June 9th the new Berth 1 cruise ship handling facility was officially opened just after the arrival of Holland America Line’s “Eurodam”.
On the gangway to the ship a ribbon was cut to officially mark the authorisation and start of cruise ship handling operations at the new berth. It was cut jointly by Ralph Müller-Beck, State Secretary in the Schleswig Holstein Ministry of Economic Affairs, Employment, Transport and Technology, Dr Susanne Gaschke, Lord Mayor of the Federal State Capital of Kiel, Dr Dirk Claus, Managing director of the Port of Kiel (SEEHAFEN KIEL GmbH & Co KG ) and Captain Henk Keijer.
Berth 1 in the Ostuferhafen was revamped this spring to make it possible to handle very big cruise ships. A water depth of 10m was created along the entire 400 metre quayside and parts of the seabed were also reinforced. On the quayside itself, extensive fendering was installed which is suitable for passenger ships. Passengers board or leave their ship via a new gangway.
The facility has been adapted to meet the requirements of the ISPS Code on port safety. The renovation of Berth 1 is part of a EUR 5.4 million Ostuferhafen development project aimed at expanding freight and logistic capacity and creating a big berth for cruise ships. The development was funded by the German Government and supported by the Federal state of Schleswig Holstein. During a reception on board this morning, State Secretary Müller-Beck handed over the authorisation certificate to Port head Dirk Claus.
For more information please click here.
Source: Port of Kiel
