Karl WP Beyer November 11, 2023 - With the call of the AIDAnova at the end of last week, the Kiel cruise port completed its best year to date. The seaport recorded its busiest season ever in 2023.
A total of 1.174.000 cruise guests passed through the three terminals of the port of Kiel. In the period from April to the beginning of November 2023, Schleswig-Holstein's metropolis reported 215 cruise ship calls. Ships from 26 shipping companies showed their flag in Kiel. The port administration expects five additional calls by the end of the year; a further four ship calls are expected at the beginning of 2024. The port management concludes that the cruise business in Kiel becomes more important in the winter months.
Kiel - Ostseekai Terminal with Mein Schiff 1
The port is increasingly focusing on the issue of sustainability in the cruise sector. The Port of Kiel attaches great importance to making sea tourism more environmentally friendly on the port side. Shore power was the dominant topic last season and will be the same in the coming season. In addition to the daily supply of ferries commuting between Norway and Sweden, the port began gradually supplying shore power to cruise ships in 2021. Around 50 cruise ships used the shore power connections for integration tests or for standard supply in 2023. Kiel sees itself as a pioneer in the supply of shore power to ships in Europe. Nevertheless, the figures are below expectations due to a technical defect that occurred and delays in the integration processes of individual ships. The plan is currently to supply a total of 100 calls with shore power next year.
Kiel - Maritime Museum - Museum Bridge
Since this year, the port of Kiel has been supplying ships with alternative fuels. In May, a cruise ship in a German port was supplied with liquid natural gas (LNG) for the first time in Kiel, and since July 2023, the AIDAnova and the MSC Euribia have been regularly bunkering LNG in Kiel.
Encounter with the AIDAnova
MSC Euribia in Copenhagen