New terminal contract awarded at Southampton Port

Thursday 17th April 2008

Associated British Ports' (ABP) Port of Southampton has awarded a multi-million pound building contract for its fourth cruise terminal to Dean & Dyball, the Hampshire-based multi-disciplinary contractor.

The as-yet unnamed £19 million terminal is being built after ABP and Carnival UK signed a 20-year contract in December last year. Southampton's cruise business has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, with 289 cruise calls and well over 900,000 passengers expected in 2008, including such high-profile calls as those for the naming of P&O's Ventura and Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas.

The new terminal, to be built adjacent to the Ocean Dock, will be capable of handling ships with a capacity of 4,000 passengers and will therefore comfortably accommodate the largest cruise vessels afloat. With Southampton being recognised as the cruise capital of Northern Europe, the new terminal will help the port maintain this position.
Southampton will then have four cruise terminals. The new terminal is seen as a response to the 20 year deal signed with Carnival UK (Owners of Cunard) and ABP owners of Southampton