Advertisement

Harbour welcomes its largest ever cruise ship thanks to pier upgrade

Scrabster Harbour on the north coast of Scotland has hosted its largest ever cruise ship recently, with the port able to welcome larger ships thanks to an upgrade to the pier.

The Holland America Line ship Zaandam became the largest vessel to berth at the Caithness port when she visited on 30 July.

The 61,396gt ships has a length of 781ft and brought around 1,100 passengers when she moored alongside St Ola Pier.

Scrabster is the most northerly mainland commercial port in the UK. Last year, a £40 million transformation was completed, that had been taking place for over 10 years.

The upgrade to the St Ola Pier means the harbour is now deeper to allow for bigger ships to come into port.

Scrabster Harbour was one of several calls for Zaandam during her 19-day Voyage of the Vikings cruise. This started in Rotterdam and finishes in the US port of Boston.

Passengers enjoyed a number of excursions around the local area before departing for the Icelandic port of Seydisfjordur.

In the past few years Kirkwall in Orkney has been the top cruise destination in the UK with around 186 ships expected to arrive this year alone.

Ships Montly - January 2024

Hapag-Lloyd newbuilds get enhanced equipment

MacGregor has secured an order from Hapag-Lloyd for its fully automatic twistlocks (ACV-1) “Hippo”, designed to improve cargo handling efficiency. Twistlocks are used to...
Advertisement

Related articles

Hapag-Lloyd newbuilds get enhanced equipment

MacGregor has secured an order from Hapag-Lloyd for its fully automatic twistlocks (ACV-1) “Hippo”, designed to improve cargo...

Lerwick initiates major dredging project

Lerwick Port Authority has initiated an ambitious two-phase infrastructure project aimed at significantly enhancing its deep-water capabilities to...

Damen signs with Port Marlborough New Zealand for ASD Tug 2312

Damen Shipyards Group has signed a contract with Port Marlborough New Zealand (PMNZ) for the delivery of an...

Spirit of Tasmania IV leaves the Port of Leith

The roll-on/roll-off passenger ferry Spirit of Tasmania IV departed the Port of Leith on 30 June 2025 and...