In pictures: Portsmouth International Port's new cruise ship terminal starts to take shape

Councillior Gerald Vernon-Jackson visited Portsmouth International Port on a rainy afternoon for a tour of the construction site, which has been made possible by £11.25m in government levelling-up funding.

The project is part of a ‘masterplan’ by the port to reach a target of more than 200 cruise calls within the next three years.

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Cllr Vernon-Jackson said: ‘It’s really impressive how fast this construction is coming on. The floors are going in, windows are going in. It might be pouring with rain but most of it is dry inside.

‘It’s great to see it coming along so well. We’ve got over 100 cruise ships coming in this year and we hope this is going to be open in the summer. It’s going to be environmentally really good and a step towards being completely carbon neutral in the port. We’ll have a really good experience for people coming in – starting their cruises and finishing their cruises here in Portsmouth – and it will really put us on the map.’

Upon completion, the new terminal will be one of the first in the country to run on net-zero carbon emissions, thanks to combination of solar panels, battery storage, and sustainable sea water used to heat the building. It is expected that the destination will have facilities to accommodate up to 2,000 additional passengers at one time. Work started in May last year.

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