Thursday, June 24, 2021 - 12:19 by ce-press
On June 8 2021, HRH Princess Anne visited the Port of Cromarty Firth where she officially named a new £50 million (€58.5 million) expansion as Quay West.
The facility now has an extended quayside of 372m which was funded by the port, Highlands and Island Enterprise and the European Regional Development Fund.
With the cruise industry set to grow further, prior to the pandemic, the development will allow the port to accept larger ships and provide additional berthing options.
In 2019, the Port of Cromarty Firth welcomed 104 calls and 167,000 passengers, representing the busiest season recorded since it first welcomed cruiseships into the Cromarty Firth over 40 years ago.
The 2019 season brought with it some of the largest cruiseships, taking advantage of the Firth’s deep sheltered water and its popular local tourist attractions. This activity has boosted the Highland economy by £18 million (€21 million), with attractions including Cawdor Castle, Loch Ness and Glenmorangie Distillery, benefitting from cruise passenger visits.
This year the port was expecting 70 calls with the first visit due to commence on June 16 2021. However with restrictions on domestic cruise activity in Scotland, it is not known when cruiseships will return this season, explained Allison McGuire, cruise manager Invergordon.
