On 10^th June, the first of three cruisers this season will call at Szczecin. This time it is the British m/v Black Watch under the flag of the Bahamas owned by Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Between 7:00 and 18:00hrs that day the ship will be mooring at the Polskie Berth. The ship can be seen from the Waly Chrobrego embankment overlooking the river.

On board of the cruiser, Szczecin expects to welcome 742 passengers, of whom the majority will be British nationals, and 337 members of its international crew. During its 14 day cruise, which started in Dover on 31st May, the ship calls at Klaipeda, St Petersburg, Helsinki, Szczecin and Copenhagen. During the stay in Szczecin, the majority of passengers will be sightseeing the city with prearranged coach trips and some of them will take a walking tour with maps in their hands. Some passengers will visit Wolin, Kamien Pomorski, Miedzyzdroje and the German capital Berlin. 

It is worth emphasising that m/v Black Watch is one of the largest cruise ships to visit Szczecin. It is 205.47m in length, 25.20m in width and 7.7m in draught.

As regards number of passengers, m/v Black Watch will be a new record holder. Previous record was set by m/v Seven Seas Voyager in 2008 when 663 passengers came to Szczecin on board. 

It is the first ever call at Szczecin Seaport by this particular owner. The first attempt to cooperate with the operator was made already in 2006 when representatives of Polsteam Shipping Agency and Szczecin and Świnoujście Seaports Authorities met representatives of the operator. The goal was reached late 2007/early 2008 when the operator confirmed that their cruisers would call at the Szczecin Seaport.

From 2005 on, every year, Polsteam Shipping Agency Szczecin and Swinoujscie Seaports Authorities have participated in the largest sector fairs held in Miami (USA), London (UK), and Hamburg and Berlin (Germany). The two companies, jointly or individually, promoted Szczecin as the port for sea-going cruisers. This started producing desired effects. In 2009, we expect one of the cruisers to call at the port, whereas in 2010 the same operator plans to call three times at Szczecin. At the moment, talks are underway on the itinerary for 2011. The operator emphasised that his decision will depend on the outcome of this year’s visit. Benefits are worth fighting for.

M/v Black Watch is not the only sea-going cruiser to call at Szczecin. On 19th August the port expects the American cruiser m/v Silver Cloud, and the very next day, on 20th August, m/v Delphin, Germany, is expected to call at Szczecin. Both cruisers will berth at Waly Chrobrego.

Thanks to the active promotion by Polsteam Shipping Agency and Szczecin and Swinoujscie Seaports Authority, supported by the City of Szczecin, other operators have confirmed their interest in calling at Szczecin during the next tourist season. In 2010, we expect to welcome at least 12 cruisers in the port.

See also:

List of scheduled cruisers in 2009

New cruise destination