A new GBP 55 million cruise ship terminal at Port Southampton (England UK) opened for the first time on Friday, July 2.
The first vessel to dock at the new Horizon Cruise Terminal was MSC Cruises’ flagship MSC Virtuosa which is fitted with shore power and 2,000+ solar panels.
Shoreside power is a "plug-in" technology allowing berthed vessels to connect to the city's power grid, thus reducing the amount of time that liners run their diesel engines in port and helping to improve the city's air quality.
The cruise terminal was built via a partnership with MSC and NCLH-Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, the parent company for NCL-Norwegian, Oceania and RSSC-Regent.
Horizon Cruise Terminal's construction received support from the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership and the Getting Building Programme of the government.