New associate member: SCH

Cruiseship handling specialists SCH and sister company Southern Maritime Services (SMS) are scheduled to handle nearly 200 calls into the UK during 2018, underlining the companies’ position as the most extensive provider of cruise services in the UK.

The calls will be spread between Southampton, Liverpool and Portsmouth. Customers include Royal Caribbean International (RCI), Celebrity Cruises, Fred Olsen Cruise Lines, Cruise & Maritime Voyages and Noble Caledonia. SCH will handle calls in Southampton and Liverpool, while SMS is the exclusive provider of cruiseship services in Portsmouth, where the company will handle Saga Cruises regularly for the first time.

The companies will provide baggage, stores loading, general stevedoring and mooring services. SMS also supplies staff for meet and greet work.

Both SCH and SMS are part of the Independent Port Handing Group, which also includes Cruise and Passenger Services (CPS) and security specialists Viper Maritime Security. CPS carries out valet car parking services in Southampton, Liverpool, Oban and Portsmouth. Carnival UK is the major customer in Southampton.

The most prestigious cruise celebrations to be supported by SCH in Southampton during 2018 are the re-launch of RCI’s Independence of the Seas, following a major refit, and the naming and inaugural call in August of Azamara’s new ship, Azamara Pursuit (ex P&O Cruises’ Adonia).

SCH director Lee Davis comments: “2018 promises to be another busy and successful year for the IPH Groups’ cruise operations around the UK”.