Int´l cruise season in Helsinki begins on Thursday

The international cruise season for the summer is kicking off in Helsinki on Thursday with MS Hamburg arriving in the South Harbour.

According to advance bookings, 186 ship calls with up to 349,000 passengers are planned for Helsinki, said the Port of Helsinki in a press release on Tuesday.

“We have finally learned to live with COVID-19, and we have agreed on good practices and arrangements concerning health and safety in international cruise traffic,” said Port of Helsinki Harbour Master Staffan Teromaa.

“The season does look unusual, however, because the uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine may cause agreed ship calls to be cancelled. Cruise ships are also expected to stay overnight more than usual, as they will not be sailing to St. Petersburg,” Teromaa said.

Up to 14 ships that have not visited Helsinki before will be arriving during the season, the press release added.