The cruise ship Regal Princes was due to dock at Portland on 8 July 2023 but the call was cancelled due to protests linked to the Bibby Stockholm barge with the port citing safety concerns caused by protests.
Regal Princess is a regular visitor to Portland Port and was scheduled to dock as part of a 12-day round trip of the British Isles, which started on 7 July from Southampton.
The ship had been scheduled to send passengers to Stonehenge from Portland, but instead, the ship spent the day at sea.
The decision was made out of safety concerns springing from protests on the island against government plans to house 500 asylum speakers on a barge at Portland Port.
A spokesperson for Princess Cruises said: “Due to protests anticipated in Portland on 8 July Regal Princess will bypass its scheduled call there and spend the day at sea instead.
“The decision was made in the interest of the safety and security of our guests and crew following our security team’s consultation with local authorities.
“The remainder of the Regal Princess’ itinerary for the 12-night British Isles voyage that departed Southampton on Friday, July 7 will not be affected.”
Regal Princess was built in 2014 and can carry up to 3,600 passengers, with 18 decks and 1,780 guest cabins.
Falmouth was the ship’s next stop, where Bibby Stockholm is being fitted out. Bibby Stockholm looks as if it is due at Portland soon as it has left dry dock in Falmouth and is laid by in Falmouth.
Photo from September 2021 by Paul Dallaway
