New member: Kotka



Monday, November 30, 2015 - 14:08 by ce-press

Kotka, situated on the southeast coast of Finland between Helsinki and St Petersburg, is looking at its cruise business based on a long-term perspective. Having had on-and-off cruiseship visits during the years, a decision was made between the port authorities, the city of Kotka and the regional development company, Cursor, that the passenger traffic business should be built up within a strategy of sustainable business development.
Today the Port of Hamina Kotka is known to be one of the biggest cargo handling ports in the Baltic region. A few years ago that traffic moved to a new port area releasing Kotka Old Port for passenger traffic. Originally built in 1879, the latter is on the same island as the city and just 500m from the centre. The infrastructure includes Kantasatama City Terminal Pier 1 of 270m in length and 9m draught and Pier 2 of 200m and 10m. Ships of this size are the main target group for Cruise Port Kotka. 
However, should there be interest for larger ships to call, berthing area has been provided in the new container port 5km away. Mussalo Terminal B pier has a length of 855m and draught of 10m and Terminal C pier 855m and 10m. There is a shuttle shuttler service into the city centre from all four piers and there is tourist information at both locations.
Services include fresh water, bunkering, waste disposal, oily waste collection, black and grey water collection and hazardous waste collection.
This long-term strategy towards sustainable business development and brand building was started in 2014 with the aim of beginning the cruise era from 2017 onwards. However, project manager Cruise Port Kotka Petra Cranston said: “Kotka is ready for the new start-up already in 2016 thanks to the well-established local networking success and commitment of the local companies.” 
In addition with expertise from those in business, it has been able to put itself on the map due to active marketing towards the cruiselines. “An alliance was made together with C&C Port Agency, the shore excursion and tour operator department of Kristina Cruises, the Port of Hamina Kotka and the regional development company Cursor which makes the allied force stronger in building the brand: Cruise Port Kotka, Getaway to Finland”.
As well as the technical development, the port has on-going commercial development with the first phase planned for completion in 2017. Here passengers will be able to take advantage of a designer outlet village, relax in the boulevard waterfront coffee shops and restaurants or visit the entertainment area related to activities or cultural experiences. Within easy reach are the Maritime Centre Vellamo and the Aquariumhouse Maretarium.
The Kotka area is a long-established tourism destination due to its location. A wide range of shore excursions are on offer including customer-oriented activities, history, culture and relaxation. These have been put together with the help of the local cruise network established last year which is made up of local service companies and guides.
Cranston said: “It looks encouraging as there are reservations for 2017. The real start-up year will most probably be 2018.”
New member: Kotka
(c) Kotka





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