Portsmouth International Port named "Port of the Year" by industry experts after Virgin and TUI cruises boost

Portsmouth International Port was named as 'Port of the Year' at an awards ceremony in Spain last week. Announced at the Seatrade Cruise Med event in Málaga on September 11, Portsmouth port was singled out for its travel schedule and service by representatives across the European cruise shipping industry.

They faced serious competition from ports across the globe after a record number of nominations for the award. Leader of Portsmouth City Council, councillor Steve Pitt, said: "I am delighted to hear that Portsmouth has been recognised as an award winning port.

“The port has gone from strength to strength, with regular calls from high end brands including Virgin Voyages and Saga Cruises now becoming a familiar sight through the harbour. The relationship the port has built with their cruise offering has brought a huge benefit to the city and local tourism, with businesses and partners reporting an increase in footfall when a ship is in. Congratulations to the whole team at Portsmouth International Port."

The port in Wharf Road is set to achieve its busiest ever cruise season following the opening of its carbon-neutral passenger terminal. Guests which have visited the city include Virgin Voyages’, TUI, Viking, Windstar and others. They have seen exponential growth over the past few years, with plans for the port to be first in the UK to provide shore power across multiple berths by 2025. Each cruise call generates £1.5m for the local authority, with finances being used to fund various projects for residents.

Andrew Williamson, the port’s head of cruise and ferry, said: "We are all celebrating after a huge win for the port. To be named 'Port of the Year' means so much to the whole team and demonstrates the commitment we've shown to developing our cruise offering for customers and passengers.

“Portsmouth has quickly become the UK home port for boutique, luxury brands looking for a bespoke service. We also take our role as a municipal port very seriously and have put sustainability at the forefront of everything we do, and are on track with our commitment to becoming the UK’s first zero emission port."