Mein Schiff 3 at Portsmouth – the largest ship ever to enter the harbour

Portsmouth harbour has been the backdrop of many spectacles, Friday, 26 May, it was the turn of cruise line TUI, as their ship Mein Schiff 3 took the title of largest ship ever to sail into the city.

Measuring 293.3m in length and weighing 99,536 in gross tonnage TUI cruise ship Mein Schiff 3 takes the accolade of the largest ship to ever sail into Portsmouth harbour, demonstrating the growing capabilities of Portsmouth International Port to manage a wider range of ships.

Mike Sellers, Portsmouth International Port’s director, said: “We’ve seen many major milestones in our ambitions to grow the reputation of Portsmouth International Port and this TUI call marks another.”

“The investment in extending our berth to accommodate larger vessels through to promoting the city’s reputation as a destination has seen cruise activity grow year on year.”

Andrew Williamson, Portsmouth International Port’s passenger operations manager, added: “We’ve been working hard over the last few years listening to the industry and creating facilities that are required to become a leading cruise port, which meets our focus on the small to medium sized, boutique, luxury, expedition market.”

“Investing in our infrastructure has been essential and we’re now in a position where we can accommodate larger vessels in the bracket of 300m on our primary berth, in addition we can look after smaller vessels on multiple berths.”

Portsmouth is expecting  75 cruise ship calls in 2023.