From the National Ports Administration (ANP) celebrate what they describe as a “record season” in terms of cruise ships and they trust that investments future in the ports of Punta del Este and Cologne They will allow the arrival of more ships.
It is expected that in this season, which began in October 2023 and will last until April 2024, a total of 241 ships will arrive. “We are more than satisfied with having achieved greater availability of public docks so that this increase in cruise activity is being recorded,” declared the vice president of the ANP, Daniel Loureiro, to Ambit.
“Before, the activity of cruise ships It competed with containers in public docks and affected the development of the industry. Now this greater availability allows us to visualize other types of port businesses and reposition the Port of Montevideo as multipurpose,” explained the leader.
Loureiro He added that the organization set itself a medium-term challenge that cruise ships spend the night in Port of Montevideo, something that today is not done in all cases. “One night of a cruise ship docked has a very strong impact on the travel services, even outside the capital,” he added.
The objective of the ANP in coordination with the Ministry of Tourism and departmental administrations is that soon smaller cruise ships will be able to arrive at the ports of Punta del Este and Colonia.
Finally, the vice president of the ANP highlighted the arrival of vessels that leave for the Antarctica. “The different owners of Antarctic and expedition ships are choosing the port for its facilities to prepare ships that sail to Antarctic waters in the summer season,” he said.
Historical landing
He Port of Montevideo received four cruise ships simultaneously this Wednesday. “It is the first event of three in which four stops will coincide simultaneously. Afterwards we will have, for three more days, three cruises, which is the materialization of the 11% increase in the number of stopovers that the port of Montevideo registers this cruise season,” said Loureiro.
The four ships were the MSC Preziosa, with 4,010 passengers; he Silver Nova, with 604 passengers; he Sapphire Princess, with 2,466 passengers; and Azamara Quest, with 550 passengers.
A new port?
The possibility of having a new port specialized in cruise ships is on the authorities’ agenda. It is handled Piriapolis as one of the probable points for investment, although two points of Punta del Este: stop 24 of Playa Mansa known as The delights and stop 43, called Chilean Stones.
The work would be private, but in coordination with the Municipality of Maldonado and the ANP, which is still keeping the issue under study.
Source: Ambito
