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April 2016 : parade of the cruises ship in Bordeaux port

These last days of April 2016, it was a real parade of cruise ships expected to dock in Bordeaux port of call!  The docking of these large vessels or their leaving combined with the lifting of the Jacques Chaban-Delmas Bridge is always a a real show ! This year nearly 50 calls are expected in the port of Bordeaux.

The 2016 season begins with the arrival of the 195 m long cruise ship Braemar and the Minerva of the company Swan Hellenic. For a big part of these expected calls this year, it  will be their first call in "the port of the Moon" (Bordeaux); as the Viking star (228 meters long) and its 928 passengers or Austral of the Ponant company, its 142 meters long, its 264 passengers and elegant profile.

2016-04-19-Braemar-docked-inBordeaux
2016-04-19-Chateau-Olivier-Pessac-Leognan-with-Braemar-passengers
2016-04-20-Call-Bordeaux-Minerva-SwanHellenic
2016-04-21-Minerva-docked-in-Bordeaux

I had the pleasure to guide British passengers (mostly) of the cruise liners Braemar and Minerva to discover our beautiful Bordeaux city and the vineyards of Pessac-Léognan with stops and tastings in Château Olivier and the Chateau Larrivet- Haut-Brion. Then I was glad to welcome future passengers of Austral liner who had to check-in for a pre-trip in the Grand Hotel de Bordeaux before taking possession of their cabins on board. Finally, I witnessed the arrival of Austral ship in the port of Bordeaux Saturday, April 22, 2016 which was joined by the ocean liner Viking Star docking for 2 days in Bordeaux.

2016-04-22-Hospitality-desk-Austral-call-in-Bordeaux
2016-04-24-Viking-Star-and-Austral-Docked-in-Bordeaux
2016-04-24-Viking-Star-docked-In-Bordeaux

 

The cruise port of Bordeaux works in partnership with the tourism office, the community of communes in the Médoc, the Chamber of Commerce of Bordeaux, Gironde pilots, shipping agents and tour operators to develop this activity. 

 

In 2014, the economic benefits of cruise liners calling in Bordeaux were valued at 3.6 million euros

(Sources : 20Minutes, Rue89)

 

The downside is the impact of these "floating resorts" on air pollution ... Indeed, the liners engines continue to run during the duration of the call for turning electricity, kitchens or air conditioning on board ... and all turns to heavy fuel oil that pollutes much more than our cars. According to France TV, a cruise ship call would pollute as much as one million cars!

Challenged by environmentalists representatives from Bordeaux, the municipality has launched  an environmental impact assessment to consider solutions for cruise ships to dock and stopping their engines. The municipality has to consider what is done elsewhere and compare the costs. At this stage, it plans to install power supplies on the docks, or maybe a natural gas supplying system via barges. We should know the results of this file in the coming years. The Marseille port project to solve the problem would have been amounted to nearly 4 million euros. The Bordeaux municipality will pronounce a decision after studying if the cost of such an investisement matches the economic impact of the cruise calls benefits. 

 

Regarding the rules that have been imposed by Bordeaux for welcoming the cruise ships, you know that if you are planned to dock in Bordeaux, your ship has been accepted with low impact for local environement.

2016 04 23 Austral arrival in Bordeaux Port

 

If you plan to dock soon in Bordeaux port of call, please visit this page
with lots of information and frequently asked questions about shore excursions from Bordeaux and tailor-made Bordeaux wine tours.

 

 

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