Press release of Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg “Marine Facade”
28 April 2016
On May 5
th Passenger port of Saint Petersburg opens cruise season of 2016 with the call of MSC Musica cruise ship, MSC Cruises S.A., that will bring aboard over 2 500 passengers. During the season till October 2016 218 cruise vessel calls and more than 460 000 passengers are expected.
According to berth reservations and schedule on cruise season 2017 a considerable increase of 42 vessel calls (almost 20%) is expected, which leads to 260 vessel calls in total. In 2016 for the first time 12 ships will come at the Port, including two sailing ships Sea Cloud 2 и Wind Surf.
On July 19
th, a new cruise ship “Mein Schiff 5” (TUI Cruises) will make a maiden call to Passenger port of St. Petersburg during its first cruise. Another new ship of Viking Ocean Cruises “Viking Sea”, a sister ship to “Viking Star”, will come to St. Petersburg during its first month of cruising in Baltic and North Sea.
During the preparation for the cruise season “Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg “Marine Façade” PLC has conducted necessary engineering works to ensure safe and comfortable reception of vessels and their passengers at Passenger port of Saint Petersburg. Infrastructure of Passenger port of Saint Petersburg meets all international standards and requirements of Russian legislation in transport security. Every year the Port makes improvements of its technical facilities, energy efficiency system, ecological and transport security.
For the start of the 2015 cruise season “Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg “Marine Façade” PLC has concluded over 280 contracts in its main lines of activity, including over 100 agreements with tour operators (6 new ones). When extending current contracts into 2016 the indexation of “Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg “Marine Façade” PLC did not exceed 15%, which means the rates has not been increased since 2013.
Presently “Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg “Marine Façade” PLC has over 20 valid contracts with ferry and cruise lines, the largest ones being Carnival Corporation – 38% (according to results of 2015), Royal Caribbean & Celebrity Cruises – 15%, Mediterranean Shipping Company – 7% and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings – 5%.
Taking into account the developing trend of increased cruise ship sizes and capacity in the end of 2015 “Passenger Port of Saint Petersburg “Marine Façade” PLC concluded the contract on the design works of remote mooring dolphins by the berth 7 which will allow for simultaneous berthing of two 330 meter vessels at berths 6 and 7. According to the work schedule the design works will be completed by the end of September and the completion of the construction works is planned by the start of the season 2017.
During 2016 it is planned to prepare the design works, get the State expertise approval and to start the reconstruction of border crossing checkpoint infrastructure. The main goal of the change of the border crossing checkpoint classification is to provide the possibility to accommodate and service passenger ferries, which now come to Morskoy Vokzal. The new infrastructure of border crossing checkpoint is planned to be put in operation in 2017. Cargo-passenger ferry communication will start on regular schedule after the full complete of construction works, including the Western High-Speed Diameter.
Besides this year the followings goals are planned to meet: installation of luggage rooms for cruise and ferry passengers, installation of beam guards to provide the safety of traffic, arrangement of first-aid centre at the terminal N3. Also the reconstruction of the infrastructure for physically challenged people will be finished by the end of this year.
In eight years from the beginning of its activity Passenger port of St. Petersburg received 1653 ships and the total passenger traffic during the indicated period was 3,052,638 persons. Currently, citizens of 182 countries attended St. Petersburg bypassing Port. Majority of cruise passengers come from Germany – 27%, USA – 17 %, the United Kingdom – 11%. Spain – 6% and Canada – 4 %.
Passenger port St. Petersburg has become the leader of regional market of accommodation and service for cruise ships. Every year the Port makes taxes in the amount of millions roubles.
Since the beginning of the Port project the cruise passenger flow increased in 1,5.
For the period 2011-2015 years the Port has remitted tax and target payments to budgets of reginal and federal levels in the amount of more than 1,4 billion rubles, including 1,08 billion rubles in the budget of St. Petersburg and 847 million rubles - objective funds for social and economic goals.
The Port is self-financed, there were no state financing or loans were used for production and economic activities.
The final vessel call of the season is on October 11
th 2016, when AIDAmar cruise ship of Carnival Corporation visits Passenger port of Saint Petersburg.
