Cruise season starts early

LERWICK Harbour is making an early start to this year’s cruise liner season thanks to Friday’s solar eclipse.

Almost 2,000 passengers will arrive in Lerwick on board two liners on Wednesday.

They are on board the Saga Sapphire, on route to Faroe, and the Magellan, while on her way to Reykjavik as part of a 12-night solar eclipse maiden cruise.

The two 200 and 222-metre long cruise liners are the first of a total of 48 booked to visit Lerwick this summer bringing an estimated 34,330 visitors.

Harbour master Calum Grains said: “Fewer large vessels this year mean no new records, but, encouragingly, both 2015 and 2016 programmes include return visits and first-time calls and advance bookings for next season are already very positive, with the real potential to be a record-breaker.”

Current bookings for 2016 so far add up to a record 51,950 passengers, with the 50 ships a record-breaking cumulative tonnage of 2,113,009 gross tonnes.