TRIESTE – June closed with 13 cruise ship calls at the passenger terminal of the port of Koper, while another 51 arrivals are expected by the end of the year. Among the most significant events were the first calls of TUI Cruises’ Mein Schiff Flow and Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Brilliance of the Seas.
Mein Schiff Flow made its debut in Koper on 19 June, setting a new record as the largest passenger ship ever to call at the Slovenian port. Built by Fincantieri at the Monfalcone shipyard, the vessel is 325 metres long, has a gross tonnage of 161,000 and can carry around 4,000 passengers as well as 1,100 crew members. As per tradition, the first call was celebrated with the exchange of commemorative plaques between representatives of the shipowner, the shipping agent, the municipality and the port.
On 30 June, it was the turn of Brilliance of the Seas, making its first call in Koper. The Royal Caribbean Cruises ship, 294 metres long, arrived from Ravenna with 2,200 passengers and 860 crew members, before continuing its voyage to Split. According to Luka Koper, the company managing the port of Koper, the presence of increasingly diversified cruise lines and the arrival of modern large vessels confirm the growing attractiveness of the port on the European cruise map.
