ABP's Port of Cardiff welcomes inaugural call of MV Silver Spirit
Above: The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Brian Griffiths, presents a commemorative plaque to the Captain Angelo A Corsaro
The growing reputation of Associated British Ports (ABP) Port of Cardiff and the Welsh capital as a cruise destination received a boost yesterday following the inaugural UK call of Silverseas Cruises’ brand new flagship Silver Spirit. The arrival of the ship is the culmination of a busy week for cruise at ABP’s South Wales ports, with two visits from Ocean Nova, first on the 28 April at Cardiff and again on the 2 May at Swansea.
The arrival of the Silver Spirit was heralded with a performance by local jazz band Wonderbrass, and in keeping with Wales’ reputation as the ‘land of song’, the Pendyrus Male Voice Choir also put in an appearance, performing a short concert of traditional anthems and show tunes on board prior to sailing.
The Lord Mayor of Cardiff, Councillor Brian Griffiths, was also on hand to present a plaque to the Captain of the Silver Spirit, Captain Angelo A Corsaro, as a memento of the ship’s first visit to Cardiff.
After a successful four-month grand inaugural voyage, the Silver Spirit embarked on her first Transatlantic voyage from New York, calling first at Ringaskiddy in Ireland, before heading to not one, but three of ABP’s cruise ports. After her visit to the Port of Cardiff, Silver Spirit will stop off at Plymouth before arriving in the UK’s cruise capital, Southampton, on 7 May.
Matthew Kennerley, ABP’s Port Director, South Wales, said: “It is with great pleasure that we welcome the inaugural visit of the Silver Spirit and that increasingly Cardiff is proving itself as a port of choice for passengers wanting to experience all that Wales has to offer”.
He added: “Over the past few years we have seen a growing number of cruise calls to South Wales which highlights the strength of the region and further supports ABP’s position at the forefront of the cruise market”.
ABP has worked closely with Cardiff Council’s Tourism Development Team and Cruise Wales for several years to encourage cruise operators to include Cardiff in their programmes because of the significant contribution each call makes to the local economy.
Many of the passengers took pre-booked excursions in and around Cardiff, while others were able to hop on shuttle buses from the port to the city centre, where they had free time to enjoy some of the city’s world-class visitor attractions and one of the UK’s top shopping centres. Cardiff Council’s tourism team were on hand to welcome and help passengers as they disembarked, while a second team were waiting to meet them in the city centre and help them make the most of their day.
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