First cruise ship berths at Mair’s Pier

MONDAY morning saw the first cruise ship berth at the new £16.5 million Mair’s Pier in Lerwick.

 The Viking Star‘s 900 passengers will use a new meet-and-greet station and information point at the multi-purpose pier at Holmsgarth, which was completed last year.

The outside arm of the pier will initially be used by cruise ships up to 230 metres in length.

Lerwick Port Authority’s senior commercial executive Victor Sandison said the new facility and visitor service is “part of our ongoing programme to attract and service the cruise industry which makes an important contribution to the Shetland economy.”

A record-breaking 62,000 passengers on 76 cruise ships are booked to visit the town this year, an increase of 22 per cent from 2016.

However, almost 90 vessels are already booked for 2018, bringing around 93,000 passengers.