Southampton Port Names New Terminal Building

Wednesday 8th October 2008

The Port of Southampton has reported that the official new name for their multi-million pound cruise terminal is to be - Ocean Terminal. The name has been chosen and named after its predecessor Ocean Dock. The Ocean Dock was at one time the home for many of the worlds transatlantic liners such as the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary.

Construction has begun on the £19-million terminal building and is being made in conjunction with a 20-year agreement with Carnival UK that currently operate Cunard, Ocean Village, P&O Cruises and Princess Cruises. The location of the new terminal building is opposite the old Ocean Terminal building, and when opened will be the home of many of the worlds largest cruise ships.

The brand new building will certainly be impressive and will be 300 meteres long in total. Construction will consist of 6,000 tonnes of steel. To put into context the size of the new terminal the baggage hall is the size of 14 tennis courts and the building in total could hold 437 double decker buses, a grand scale by any standards!

The ABP Port Director of Southampton has spoken on the announcement of the naming of the new building and said;

"As the new terminal is being built opposite the previous Ocean Terminal, it made sense to commemorate this historic gateway and the great ships that sailed from it. We are delighted to see the new terminal begin to take shape – its contemporary design will act as a symbol of the modern cruising age and our long-standing partnership with Carnival UK. Over the last few years, the cruise industry has seen enormous growth, making the Port of Southampton the cruise capital of Northern Europe. The new terminal is essential for the port’s future growth within the cruise market but also represents a significant economic contribution to the Southampton region."

The brand new Ocean Terminal is scheduled to open in May 2009 and the first ship penned to sail from it will be the P&O Ventura.