Hamburg celebrated its 824th Port Anniversary this past weekend,
with over the world’s largest port festival hold along the harbour front.
The cruise industry also used the Elbe River as its catwalk and showed stage
during the port anniversary festival.
Highlights such as the official christening of the “MS Europa 2”; the rocking
final of TUI Cruises’ “Full Metal Cruise”; the AIDA firework display and the
arrival of a total of thirteen cruise ships in the Port of Hamburg made the
Hanseatic city North Germany’s cruise hot spot last weekend.
Hamburg. A particular highlight this year was the christening
of the new “MS Europa 2” on the Elbe River off Hamburg’s prestigious
“Blankenese” district on Friday evening. The ship was greeted with a firework
display before embarking on its maiden voyage to Amsterdam followed by a cruise
around Western Europe.
Ships such as Germany’s famous TV liner the “MS Deutschland”; queen of the seas
the “Queen Mary 2”; the “MS Astor”; the “MS Artania”, the “Fram”, the “MS
Hamburg”; the “MSC Magnifica”, which played a birthday song with the ships’ horn
and, of course, AIDA’s “AIDAsol” and “AIDAluna” transformed the Port of Hamburg
into a maritime catwalk. In addition to this, on Saturday evening the “Mein
Schiff 1” rocked the port while the finale of TUI CRUISES’ “Full Metal Cruise”,
organised in conjunction with the “Wacken” heavy metal festival, reached the
Port of Hamburg.
To mark the visit of thirteen cruise ships at this year’s HAMBURG PORT
ANNIVERSARY the Hamburg Cruise Center association (HCC) arranged a tombola and
animated children to do handicraft works, supporting the concept of
sustainability with regard to both people and the environment. High quality,
sustainable framework conditions are one of the focuses of the cruise industry.
The increasing demand for such conditions comes in conjunction with the growth
of the cruise industry in Hamburg.
The large tombola made possible by cooperation with a number of association
members, such as Stage Entertainment, Hapag-Lloyd Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Hamburg
Airport GmbH, MSC Kreuzfahrten, Hard Rock Cafe Hamburg and Cunard Line and many
more. The proceeds of the tombola event will be donated directly to the seamen’s
mission. The seamen’s mission, whose activities are based on “support of
seafarer’s dignity”, provides seamen who spend many months at sea with
counselling and a point of contact in a foreign country.
Ships are going green. Taking its cue from the cruise industry’s most recent
activities and studies on environmental sustainability, the HCC offered
handicrafts activities. The crafting items on offer have been recyclable objects
and materials discarded by companies and households. Young visitors have been
able to take their inspiration from the materials on offer to design their own
personal “green” ship.
The Hanseatic city is in greater demand than ever by cruise lines and their
guests. The 2013 cruise season will see a total of 177 ship’s calls and half a
million passengers in Hamburg. The Port of Hamburg will thus again be the most
frequented German Turn Around Port. |
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Plantation, FL 33324 - USA
Tel: +1 954 452 8800 Fax: +1 954
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