At the beginning of September, the Port of Gothenburg was one of the first ports in Northern Europe to welcome cruise ships where passengers and crew are allowed to go ashore and discover the destination. Since the first cruise call, 3 more ships have called at Gothenburg and more calls are planned during the autumn.
A number of shipping companies have also contacted the Port of Gothenburg to exchange experiences before their restart. The Port of Gothenburg was early in developing a COVID-19 Port Management plan that explains how the call will be handled and protection measures that have been taken for a safe and efficient operation. This plan is constantly consulted with relevant authorities and shipping companies to find improvement measures.
All calls have worked normally, with several protective measures, and the response from ships, shipping companies, guests and crew who have visited Gothenburg has been positive. The central quay location in Gothenburg and the proximity to nature, the shipping companies offer several different ecxursion programs such as guided hikes and RIB boat trips. Many of the guests and crew have also discovered Gothenburg on their own.
“The first calls were with a relatively low number of guests which gave us a good chance to test and develop our protective measures further in consultation with the vessels. The calls have been handled just like any other regular call with a series of risk-mitigating measures based on social distancing and hygiene,” said Martin Eskelinen, Cruise Operations Manager at the Gothenburg Port Authority
Source: Port of Gothenburg
Additional information about the Port of Gothenburg at CruiseMapper