Liverpool (England)

Liverpool is a major port anc city in England's Merseyside (metro region) with population around 0,5 million (urban ~870,000, metro ~2,3 million). The cruise port is located along River Mersey Estuary's eastern side. Other major turnaround (cruise ship departure) ports in the UK are the England's Southampton, Bristol, Dover, Harwich, Hull, Tilbury-London, Newcastle and Portsmouth, and Scotland's Leith-Edinburgh and Greenock-Glasgow.

Ferries link Liverpool with Dublin Ireland (17 crossings weekly, travel time 7 hours), Belfast Northern Ireland (14 crossings weekly, travel time 8 hours) and Douglas, Isle of Man (12 crossings weekly, travel time 2 hours 45 min). These routes are operated, respectively, by the companies P&O FERRIES, STENA LINE and Steam Packet Company (purchased in May 2018 by Manx government for GBP 124 million).

Port Liverpool

Port Liverpool (locode GBLIV) is located approx 9 mi (15 km) from Liverpool John Lennon Airport and approx 40 mi (60 km) from Manchester International Airport. The nearest to the cruise port train station (Lime Station) is a few minutes drive from downtown, or at ~20 min walking distance.

Port's cruising business is constantly growing. In 2016 it handled a record number of ships - 64 (10 more in comparison to 2015) and 85000+ tourists. The first vessel to berth at the newly constructed Pier Head Terminal (2007-inaugurated) was RSSC-Regent's Seven Seas Voyager (on Sept 9, 2007).

The city itself has a rich maritime heritage, being also the birthplace of the UK's first passenger shipping line - Cunard. Since the Pier Head Terminal's opening (2007), it has served as a homeport (turnaround port serving roundtrips) but also as a transit port on itineraries visiting UK-Ireland-Baltic destinations (Norway, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Finland, Russia).

Operated by Peel Ports Group, Liverpool Port offers planning, support and assistance by a large team of highly qualified professionals. The Port also provides services to cargo ships (TEU-containers, general-liquid-dry bulks, metals, forest and project cargoes), Ro-Ro ships (vehicles carriers) and Ro-Pax ships (ferries). The cruise port operator provides expert pilots and linesmen (to assist navigation), port workers (stevedoring, porters, passenger handling staff), modern facilities. In 2018, Princes Dock (cruise terminal) generated GBP 7+ million (EUR 8+M) in revenues.

Since 2012, when the city became a cruise homeport, the number of visiting boats doubled - from 31 (2012) to 61 (2015). The number of cruise ship tourists also doubled - from 38656 (2012) to 86365 (2016). Liverpool was ranked the UK’s "best cruise port of call" for 2013 and 2014. In 2014, the City Council announced that Cunard's building would be converted into a cruise terminal. The building was bought for GBP 1,5 million, with the idea to become a ticketing hall for the new terminal. Later was estimated that the building's conversion would cost too much (between GBP 5-60 million) making it not suitable for the purpose.

In 2015, Liverpool's cruise shipping industry brought ~GBP 7 million to the city economy, with over 81000 passengers and 37000 crew. Each cruise tourist spent an estimated GBP 70 in the city, while crew members spent ~GBP 30.

In 2015, the Port hosted Princess Cruises' (Carnival Corporation brand) 50th-anniversary celebrations and Celebrity Cruises' (Royal Caribbean brand) 25th-anniversary celebrations. Also in 2015, the Port was visited for the first time by P&O UK's ship Britannia. Inaugural calls were made by Oceania's ships Nautica and Marina. Those events were marked with fireworks shows, shoreside concerts, special occasion cakes.

On May 25, 2015, the Port was visited by all the three Cunard liners (RMS Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria) for the "Queens Royal Rendezvous" spectacle on Mersey River. On July 4, 2015, QM2 sailed out of Liverpool on a 10-day crossing to Canada (Halifax) and USA (Boston and NYC) commemorating Cunard Line's first-ever Transatlantic cruise crossing. On July 4th, 1840, Cunard Steamship Company started its regular passenger shipping service (with RMS Britannia/paddlewheel steamship) crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Liverpool to Halifax.

In February 2016, City Council announced the preferred site (Princes Jetty) for the construction of a new passenger terminal that could facilitate Transatlantic cruise shipping (eastbound crossings USA-UK). The new terminal building has capacity 3600+ passengers. Previously suggested plans for the Cunard Building (used as terminal) were scrapped in 2014. For the last time, Port Liverpool hosted regular Transatlantic ship crossings in 1968.

In late-March 2016, City Council commissioned early design work and appointed a consultancy team (KKA Architects, Turner & Townsend, Royal Haskoning DHV Engineering) to develop a conceptual design for a new cruise terminal. The building has to be able to handle ~3600 passengers (3 times larger than the existing terminal's /1200 pax). The new terminal has passport control, a waiting lounge, baggage hall, public restrooms, cafe-restaurant, dedicated taxi rank, coach and vehicle pick-up areas, car parking (for up to 300 cars).

On May 5, 2016, officially started Fred Olsen's homeporting season with Boudicca. The ship had scheduled 16x roundtrips (out of Pier Head) visiting destinations in the Mediterranean (Adriatic), Canary Islands, UK-British Isles, Greenland, as well as Transatlantic roundtrips to Canada and USA/New England.

In June 2016, Port Liverpool contracted the company SCH (Southampton Cargo Handling). The GBP 0,74 million deal was for 3-year stevedore cruise ship services. SCH handles all cruise vessels visiting Liverpool and employs locals for stevedoring. The contract was renewed in 2019 (thru 2022) and 2023 (thru 2026). On August 19, 2016, City Council approved a GBP 0,95 million (USD 1,2M) feasibility study into the new passenger terminal development. Port's 2016 schedule had a total of 63 ship visits (9 more over 2015) bringing 114,676 tourists and generating economic impact ~GBP 7 million (EUR 8,2M). Maiden ports calls in 2016 were 4 - Artania, Amadea, Disney Magic, L'Austral.

In 2018, Port had booked 57 cruise ship berthings, with estimated 100,000+ passengers and crew. Season's highlights included 5 maiden calls (AIDAaura, Ocean Dream, Seabourn Ovation, Viking Sun, MS Berlin) and two overnights (Celebrity Eclipse/June 12, and MS Europa 2/Sept 8). In April 2018, City Council officially approved the GBP 50 million cruise terminal project that includes Princes Jetty (on Princes Parade) to be demolished and the new facility to be built as a suspended dock (on River Mersey). The new terminal has capacity to handle the world's largest passenger ships.

Since July 2018, the deepwater container terminal Liverpool2 is included in 2M's (shipping alliance Maersk+MSC) Transatlantic service. With the new line, 2M temporarily switched TA2 (Felixstowe to Liverpool) while to Maersk's Colombia Express (South America) was added Liverpool for exports to Newark. Both services are weekly and include Liverpool as the final call port on these westbound Atlantic crossings. Among the UK export cargoes are Scotch whiskey, food products, machinery. The new services also opened direct UK-USA links from Liverpool to Charleston SC and Savannah GA. Liverpool2 terminal serves smaller-sized boxships (max capacity 8500 TEUs), while larger vessels use RSCT (Royal Seaforth Container Terminal). In early-2018, Peel Ports started rail freight service from the Port via partnership with DB Cargo AG (Deutsche Bahn AG).

In November 2019, ACL (Atlantic Container Line, subsidiary of Grimaldi Group) signed with Peel Ports Group a 15-year RSCT concession extension (until 2035). Peel Ports in 2019 started a development project to expand RSCT for handling larger-sized boxships. The project (2019-2021) included widening the Seaforth Basin (by 28 m / 92 ft) and purchasing two new ZPMC STS (ship-to-shore container cranes / China-made - by Zhenhua Heavy Industries). Now RSCT has 8x STS cranes plus 22x cantilever RMGs (rail-mounted gantry cranes). Each ZPMC STS crane has height 92 m (302 ft / to frame's top) and 132 m (433 ft / with raised boom) and weighs ~1600 tons. ZPMC STS cranes are with capacity ~30 moves per hour, can outreach 24x TEUs, handle max loads 85 tons and operate in max wind speeds 55 mph (88 kph).

In 2019/pre-COVID crisis, the cruise port handled 86 ship calls (~40% increase over 2018). In 2022 were handled 107 calls and ~200,000 tourists (passengers plus crew). For season 2023, the Liverpool Cruise Terminal had booked a total of 115 ship berthings (including ~40 roundtrips), handled 2,75 million passengers and generated GBP 1+ billion for the economy.

In December 2022, SCH Logistics signed a multi-year lease agreement with Peel Ports Group for a major car storage and transporter park expansion. The project (budgeted GBP 1+ million) was completed in ~3 months and increased the Port's vehicle storage capacity/park size by 22% (from 8 to 10,3 acres). The expanded parking facility is a hub dedicated to newly manufactured vehicles (automobiles arriving on RO-RO ships) and then handled by SCH's staff (unloading and storing) prior to their delivery by the manufacturer to its car dealers.

Port Liverpool, along with its cruise terminals also has ferry terminals, containership terminal, drydock facilities (for ship refurbishments and repairs).

• port address - "Liverpool Cruise Port Terminal, Princess Parade, Liverpool, L31DL"
• UN-LOCODE (United Nations location code) - GBLIV.
• one dedicated cruise terminal
• capability to accommodate 2 liners at a time
• supported by excellent road, rail and air infrastructure
• deep water berths (draft 12,6 m / 41 ft)
• large ships can berth alongside a quay (length 376 m / 1234 ft)
• Cruise ships usually arrive in Liverpool in early morning (6, 6:30, 7:30 or 8 am) and depart from Liverpool in late afternoon (5, 6 pm) or in the evening (9, 9:30 or 10 pm).

Next is the lengthy video about 2015's Cunard celebrations in Liverpool. The unique event featured precise maneuvering by the Cunard cruise ships in front of thousands of spectators. Following the rotation, the ships formed an arrowhead formation before the three abreast arrangement - their first time ever. With all 3 cruise vessels aligned on the river, QM2 sounded the anniversary year number (175) by blowing 1 single short blast followed by 7 and then 5 blasts. The '"cruise ship dance" was culminated with a salute by 9 jets from Red Arrows (UK's Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team). Following the celebrations, QM2 left the port. Followed fireworks and digital light shows at Pier Head.

Cruise itineraries to and from Liverpool England

Follows a list of destinations visited by cruise ships leaving out of Liverpool:

• Round-trip itineraries out of Liverpool visit Iceland and Greenland, often with Faroe Islands (Torshavn) and British Islands ports.
• North Sea itineraries (around the UK) visit ports in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
• Baltic Sea - cruises to Norway (themed "Norwegian Fjords") and Europe's Arctic (North Pole) visit the following ports in Norway. Among the destinations is the Svalbard Archipelago's Spitsbergen island.
• Baltic Sea - itineraries to Scandinavia and Russia include an overnight stay in St Petersburg.
• Mediterranean cruises leaving from Liverpool can be either round-trip or one-way. They visit ports in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, often Gibraltar and Malta, sometimes - Adriatic Seaports. Up to a month-long roundtrips may include Black Sea ports in Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, and also in Greece and Turkey.
• Another popular destination is the Canaries (Spain's Canary Islands), often combined with Portugal's Madeira.

Transatlantic crossings (RepositionCruises.com) from the UK to Canada and USA can be roundtrips from Liverpool or one-ways (on seasonal ship relocation voyages).

Short breaks (mini cruises) from Liverpool to Bristol (3-day / 2-night), Greenock-Glasgow (2-day / 1-night) or to Southampton (4-day / 3-night) are offered as one-way ship relocation deals. Short break round-trips to Ireland visit Dublin and Belfast.

Liverpool cruise terminal

Liverpool tours, shore excursions, hotels

City Tours and Shore Excursions

• The Albert Dock: dates from 1846. Visit fine galleries, museum and many shops.
• Croxteth Hall & Croxteth Park: it is 5 miles away from the Liverpool’s center. It was Earls of Sefton ancestral home. Currently, Liverpool City Council manages it.
• Liverpool Cathedral: the largest British Anglican Cathedral
• Liverpool Museum: it is located on William Brown Street. Discover many collections and attractions it this fine museum. You can see the Planetarium and the Natural History Centre.
• The Mersey Ferries: famous from the ” Ferry Cross the Mersey” song by by Gerry and the Pacemakers.
• Merseyside Maritime Museum: located at Albert Dock. Discover the seafaring heritage of Liverpool.
• Museum of Liverpool Life: discover the story and the culture of the citizens of Liverpool.
• The Metropolitian Cathedral:”Paddy’s Wigwam” (Chris the King) cathedral.
• Sefton Parl Palm House: amazing botanical exhibition. The Victorian Glasshouse is listed as Grade II.
• The Walker art gallery: known as the “National Gallery of the North.” You can see of of the largest collections of art outside of London.
• The Cavern Club: the birthplace of Merseybeat
• Haydock Park Racecourse: 30 min away from the city by car. Haydock Park Racecourse is the most visited and popular racecourse in England.
• Liverpool Empire Theatre: the theater is two-tier, the largest in the UK.