Portsmouth welcomes cruise announcement

The maritime minister, Robert Courts MP, appeared at a virtual meeting of the All Party Parliamentary Maritime and Ports Group (APPMPG) earlier this week and confirmed that domestic cruises could resume in mid-May. Responding to the news, Cllr Gerard Vernon-Jackson, Leader of Portsmouth City Council, who own and operate Portsmouth International Port said:

“We welcome the announcement from the maritime minister that domestic cruises could resume from the 17 May.

“The port has been working hard throughout the pandemic to ensure that passengers can continue to travel safely. We became one of the first ports in the UK, recognised by independent assessors DNV, for our protocols to manage and reduce the risk of COVID-19 infections. We have also invested in a temperature scanner which is available for cruise lines to use as part of their screening protocols.

“Combined with the port’s recently extended and improved cruise berth, we stand ready to work with the cruise industry on the safe resumption of cruises from Portsmouth.”

Find out more about about how we’ve prepared on our dedicated Covid-19 page.