The launch of Southampton’s newest cruise terminal has been warmly received by the port.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was held as part of London International Shipping Week, and was hosted by the maritime minister.

Robert Courts officially named and opened the £55 million next-generation Horizon Cruise Terminal with the unveiling of the plaque.

The Port of Southampton’s regional director, Alastair Welch, said: “We are incredibly pleased to be officially opening Horizon Cruise Terminal and showing a number of our cruise industry and city partners around the building.

“This investment represents a huge vote of confidence in the future of the cruise industry and as the return of cruise continues to gather pace, we are proud of the role Horizon will play in support of this key industry now and in the future.”

In July, the Horizon Cruise Terminal welcomed its first ship and passengers, and it has already served over 75,000 passengers.

The terminal houses the UK’s first shore power connection, allowing cruise ships with the appropriate onboard connectivity to connect to green energy while docked.

Horizon’s shore electricity should be operational later this year.

“As we look towards a brighter and greener future for the cruise sector, we need to ensure that the infrastructure is in place to support the shift to cleaner ships,” Courts added.

“The Horizon terminal shows how this can be done. Such innovation will help the sector to build back greener and reduce emissions by providing state-of-the-art green shore power connectivity for cruises here in the UK.”

Horizon Cruise Terminal comfortably expands Southampton’s potential to welcome additional cruise lines and passengers as the popularity of cruise grows, with Europe’s leading cruise turnaround port expecting to double its passenger count to four million per year over the next 30 years.

– India’s new age travel digital media