Associated British Ports (ABP) welcomed Queen Anne, the newest addition to Cunard’s prestigious fleet, to her home port of Southampton. ABP looks forward to supporting cruise operations for all four Cunard ships this year. The cruise season continues to thrive in 2024, and the port is expecting 70 vessels in May, a testament to Southampton’s position as Europe’s leading cruise turnaround port.
A traditional plaque and key exchange and a ship blessing ceremony took place on Friday 3 May. Blessing a new ship is a long-standing maritime tradition, with the belief that it will bring good fortune to the vessel and all who sail on it. ABP representatives had a full ship tour and exchanged plaques with Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge.
During Queen Anne’s inaugural visit, she was commissioned for shore power use, enabling her to “plug in” and achieve zero emissions at berth whilst she’s alongside at the port. The shore power capability underscores ABP’s commitment to environmental sustainability and the Port of Southampton is proud to be the first UK port to offer large-scale shore power capability. In 2024, we have over 100 shore power connections planned as more vessels commission and familiarity in the technology increases.
Alastair Welch, Regional Director, said, “We were delighted to welcome Queen Anne, the latest evolution of an iconic brand with such strong links to Southampton. Her departure tops off a busy week in the port, which also saw simultaneous operations by two of the world’s largest container vessels for the first time.”
The Port of Southampton is Europe’s leading cruise turnaround port, and last year, it welcomed 2.75 million passengers to the port, generating more than £1 billion for the local and regional economy. The sector supports over 15,000 jobs with a wide range of local businesses benefitting, from those closely aligned to the sector in hospitality, stevedore operations and fuel bunkering services to the wider Hampshire visitor economy and other local Southampton businesses.
