Port of Cork Company announces 2023 Cruise Schedule, set to top pre-pandemic levels
The Port of Cork Company (PoCC) looks forward to welcoming the return of cruise ships this spring, as it announces its Cruise Liner Schedule for 2023.
Anticipating a strong year, PoCC sees bookings return to pre-pandemic levels, with 113 vessels expected in 2023, compared to 100 vessels in 2019.
The first cruise liner of the season, ‘The Ambience’, will dock in Cobh on Monday, 10th April.
Speaking about the 2023 Cruise Schedule, Conor Mowlds, Chief Commercial Officer at the Port of Cork Company stated, “Last year, we were delighted to welcome over 115,000 passengers on 90 cruise ships to Cork following a two-year pause as a result of the pandemic. Now, we look forward to what is expected to be a thriving year in the cruise liner industry, as bookings return to pre-pandemic levels, which will have a really positive impact on the local region’s tourism and trade. All of us here at the Port of Cork look forward to welcoming the cruise liners, passengers and crew in the coming months.”
Johanna Murphy, President of Cobh and Harbour Chamber said: “We’re looking forward to once again welcoming cruise passengers and crew back to Cobh. The cruise season is always a huge lift for everyone in Cobh and the local harbour community, so we look forward to what is anticipated to be a busy year of cruise liners which will boost local trade in the town.”
The Ambience cruise ship is due to dock quayside in Cobh Cruise Terminal at 12:00pm and is scheduled to depart at 19:00pm on April 10th 2023.
About Port of Cork Company
The Port of Cork is the world’s second-largest natural harbour and a key international trade gateway. It is the key seaport in the south of Ireland and is one of the three Ports of National Significance (Tier 1) as designated by National Ports Policy.
The National Ports Policy mandates Tier 1 Ports to lead the response in meeting Ireland’s future port capacity requirements. In this capacity, the port is also central to the national economic growth given that national ports handle approximately 90% of all imported and exported tonnage in Ireland.
As a multi-model port it is only one of two ports in Ireland to service all six shipping modes – lift on/ lift off, roll-on/ roll-off, liquid bulk, dry bulk, break bulk and cruise.
The Port of Cork Company (PoCC) is a commercial semi-state company responsible for the broad range of commercial running of Cork harbour as well as the navigation and berthage in the port.
In 2021, the Ports of Cork and Bantry reported a total consolidated traffic throughput of 10.6 million tonnes in line with 2020. The PoCC’s direct workforce is 150 staff, however, it supports thousands of jobs through indirect employment through warehouses, hauliers and shipping agents.
PoCC is a hugely important catalyst for trade and employment, offering direct connectivity to a global supply chain, particularly for FDI. 35 of its top customers are from industries such as Med-Tec, Pharma, IT, chemical and Agri-Food accounting for €145 billion of manufacturing and supporting over 45,000 jobs directly in the southwest region.
The Port of Cork Company’s facilities and operations are situated at four distinct locations in Cork’s natural deep water harbour: The City Quays provide the service for bulks, both Tivoli and Cork Container Terminal (CCT) Ringaskiddy provide the lift on/ lift off, roll-on/ roll-off and bulks services, while Cobh caters for cruise liners with Ireland’s only dedicated deep-water berth for cruise ships.
