Port accessToday at its Getxo berths, the Port of Bilbao received three cruise ships on board of which arrived a total of 8,700 tourists. It is the largest number of cruise visitors that have ever arrived in the Basque Country on the same day, which meant that the streets of Bilbao and even those of the town of Getxo especially noted their presence.
The first vessel to arrive from its port of origin, Cherbourg, France, at 6.00 a.m. was one of the largest cruisers in the world, the Independence of the Seas, belonging to Royal Caribbean International. It had already visited the Port of Bilbao in May 2014, coinciding with the inauguration of the third cruise berth, and also repeated its call last year. This vessel is 339 metres long with a 56-metre beam; it has 4,280 passengers on board and departs for Gijon at 5.00 p.m.
The second, the Britannia, arrived from Corunna at 7.30 a.m., and has been visiting Bilbao every season since 2015, as well as on other occasions. It is 330 metres long with a 44-metre beam, and is the largest cruise vessel of the British company P&O. 3,828 passengers arrived on board, and it will depart for La Rochelle, France at 7p.m.
The third cruise vessel, the Seven Seas Explorer, arrived from Corunna at 8.00 a.m., and will sail for the French port of Verdon at 6.00 p.m. Today was its first call at Bilbao. The ship is 224 metres long with a 32-metre beam: it was completed in 2016, and was designed to be the most luxurious vessel ever built. It arrived with 604 passengers.
This is the second time this season that three cruise ships have docked on the same day, the previous one being last Saturday, 27 May, when some 2,500 tourists arrived.
