Abu Dhabi Ports welcomed the MS Balmoral cruise liner to Abu Dhabi, UAE, celebrating its maiden visit to Zayed Port with a commemorative plaque to the captain.

With a capacity for 1,230 passengers, the MS Balmoral is the biggest cruise liner of the UK-based shipping line Fred Olsen Cruise Lines. Named after a favourite Royal residence in the Highlands of Scotland, the ship arrived from Muscat, Oman, in the early morning hours and stayed for a full day before heading towards Dubai.

After the AIDAAura, Costa Serena and MSC Orchestra, the MS Balmoral is the fourth “maiden caller” of the current cruise season which is the busiest yet, with a total of 94 ships visiting the emirate.

Compared to last season in which 75 ships called at Zayed Port, this marks an increase of 25.3 per cent.

“Each season we welcome new, first time cruise visitors to Abu Dhabi which makes us incredibly proud and demonstrates the heightened confidence, interest and client demand from cruise operators around the world,” said Abdulkareem Al Masabi, vice president-Operations, Abu Dhabi Ports. 

Moreover, the Cruise Arabia promotional initiative is not only working to attract tourists from both the traditional markets in Europe and America, but also from the new emerging cruise markets in China and India.

“The development of cruise tourism is a main pillar of the Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030, and Abu Dhabi Ports is committed to supporting the growth of this valuable industry and to ensuring our cruise visitors are fully catered for. Each season we welcome new cruise ships to our port for their ‘first time visit’. These maiden calls demonstrate a steady positive increase in the number of vessels that call here throughout the season,” Al Masabi said. – TradeArabia News Service