03.06.2009

London Cruise Terminal's largest ship

On a glorious Sunday at the end of May, a combination of Italian officers in white tropical uniforms and multi-national staff brought a flavour of the Italian Riviera to the London Cruise Terminal at Tilbury when MSC LIRICA arrived with 800 tourists bound for the historic sites of London. 1,300 international passengers joined or left the vessel during her stay.

In bound from her cruise to the Norwegian Fjords and the Land of the Midnight Sun, at 253 m long and 59,000 tonnes, MSC LIRICA is believed to be the largest passenger vessel to have called at the London Cruise Terminal.

Dominating the skyline and river front for both Tilbury and Gravesend, this prestigious vessel attracted considerable local interest as she left the landing stage, turned and sailed off to Amsterdam.

Port of Tilbury’s Managing Director, Perry Glading, toured the vessel with Chairman of MSC Cruises UK & Ireland, Peter Pate, and Chief Executive, Giulio Libutti together with invited guests.

To commemorate the event, Perry Glading exchanged gifts with MSC LIRICA’s Staff Captain, Silvio Musap.

Welcoming MSC LIRICA Perry Glading said, “The arrival of MSC LIRICA was not only a major step forward to Tilbury’s London Cruise Terminal plans but also demonstrates that in difficult economic times, requiring cost effective solutions with a high degree of service delivery, Tilbury’s cruise management and staff have shown what can be achieved. We believe that the tourist market should take note of this and the facilities that are available in Thurrock Essex”.

Peter Pate responded, “We are very pleased to bring MSC LIRICA to the Port of Tilbury as part of our programme to increase our share of the UK cruise market. The Port of Tilbury gives us access to London and a wide range of excursions to the Home Counties, Essex, Kent and Suffolk. We look forward to returning to Tilbury in the future.”

Notes to Editors:

MSC LIRICA is the first cruise liner of the new-building programme of MSC CRUISES.
She entered service in 2003. Built at a cost of approx: US $ 300 million, she is 253 metres long and 29 metres wide.
Her 780 cabins accommodate 1560 passengers as doubles and a total of 2065 passengers when family upper bunks are used.
Her 10 decks offer restaurants, shops, lounges, swimming pools, spa/health centre, theatre, casino
and every modern cruise amenity. She is truly a floating resort.

Click here for further information about the London Cruise Terminal or here for more about MSC Cruises (both open in a new window).

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