Tui cruise ship Mein Schiff 3 due to set record for largest ship to visit Portsmouth when it visits this year

Tour company Tui will see its cruise ship Mein Schiff 3 make several trips to the city in the coming months.

At 293 metres long, the cruise ship will break the record for largest ship at the port when it visits on May 26, July 8, and August 1.

The 2,500 passengers on board from Germany will enjoy Portsmouth’s superb range of attractions for the day, before departing in the evening.

The standing record for largest ship to come to the city is held by Virgin Voyage's Scarlet Lady, which is 277 metres long.

Andrew Williamson, passenger operations manager at Portsmouth International Port said: ‘We can’t wait to get started with the 2023 cruise season, as the travel industry continues to recover following the global pandemic.

‘We’ve been working very hard behind the scenes to show the cruise industry what we and the city have to offer, and they like what they have seen, leading to a bumper number of scheduled calls this year.

‘With such an exciting range of luxury, boutique and expedition vessels visiting the port in 2023, the only way is up for Portsmouth.’

Another maiden call will be from Viking’s latest vessel Viking Neptune, which is the first cruise ship to be equipped with a prototype hydrogen fuel system, for onboard power.

The visit from the sustainably-focused ship comes as the port works towards it ambition to become carbon neutral by 2030, and emission free by 2050.