Press photos

Last week the QM2 paid two visits to the Hanseatic metropolis, which is widely regarded as the second home port of the Queen of the Seas. And not without reason, in view of the 2011 schedule for Hamburg announced by Peter Shanks, President & Managing Director of Cunard Line, at a recent press conference on board ship.

Hamburg. Last Saturday AIDA Cruises’ newest cruise ship – the “AIDAblu” – said goodbye to her home port Hamburg and will return in August. During the first quarter of the year 2010 the “AIDAblu” set out on a total of nine cruises along the Atlantic west coast to visit the ports of the “Atlantic Alliance – Europe’s Prime Cruise Destinations”.

Flanked by state finance minister Michael Freytag, economics minister Axel Gedaschko to-day laid the foundation stone for the new building of the Altona cruise terminal, marking the official start of the second building phase. The quay wall was already completed last year. Since then, services for cruise passengers at the Altona terminal have been of a very provi-sional nature, especially during the active building phase.

Cruise port Hamburg on the up. Following a successful year in 2009 the Hamburg Cruise Center expects passenger numbers to double within two years and the number of calls in 2010 to pass the 100 mark for the first time.

With total passenger numbers of 127 000 in 2009 Hamburg was able to hold its ground as Germany’s fastest growing cruise port (+ 41.3 percent) compared to other German seaports. Further growth is forecast for 2010.