Portsmouth International Port gears up for busy month

The majority of activity will see passengers starting and ending their cruise holidays at the port.

Eight cruise ships will be embarking and disembarking passengers, and five cruise ships will be arriving for a day visit.

Rupert Taylor, harbour master at Portsmouth International Port, said: ‘We’ve grown used to May being the busiest month, but each year it looks and feels very different.

‘This year we are looking forward to seeing new expedition ships, including NG Orion, as well as old favourites like Minerva.

‘The range of holidays on offer changes too, with a wonderful selection of destinations to choose from.’

The National Geographic Explorer, the flagship of the National Geographic cruise fleet, will arrive on May 11 from London on her 15-day cruise around Britain.

Noble Caledonian’s Serenissima, a small luxury cruise ship, will cruise in and out of Portsmouth four times in May on a schedule of week-long cruises that begin and end at Portsmouth International Port.

Passengers departing on May 1 will go to the Channel Islands and Isles of Scilly.

Other cruises include a holiday to discover gardens by the sea and a Britain and Ireland odyssey.

Another small explorer ship arriving in May is Ocean Nova. She will be bringing passengers at the end of a trip that will have taken them from Devon, around the Isles of Scilly to France and the Channel Islands.

Swan Hellenic’s Minerva will be making two appearances with passengers starting and finishing European cruises.

The largest ship to visit will be the 200m-long Albatros, operated by German cruise operator Phoenix Reisen.

Albatros, carrying 800 passengers, will call at Portsmouth on May 10, 
for the second time this 
year.