Ireland was finally able to reopen for cruise shipping with the arrival of Viking OCEAN's ship Viking Venus to Dun Laoghaire Harbour (Dublin) on March 29th, following an absence of 2+ years due to the COVID crisis.
This followed extensive discussions between cruise industry stakeholders and the authorities that resulted in the creation of robust protocols.
The cruise industry is estimated to contribute EUR 70 million to the national economy and ~EUR 14 million annually to local economies, such as Cork (Cobh), which pre-Covid had welcomed ~100 calls per year.
This year the Port of Cork Company welcomes a return to almost pre-COVID levels of calls, having ~90 calls scheduled between April-November 2022.
The first call of 2022 was from Fred Olsen Borealis which docked in Cork-Cobh, the country’s only dedicated cruise ship berth, on April 15th.
There are also 12 cruise ship calls scheduled for Bantry in 2022.