Cruise activity at the Port of Lisbon saw significant growth during June, both in the number of port calls and passengers, compared to the previous year, reveals APL – Lisbon Port Authority.

The number of cruise ship calls at the Port of Lisbon increased by 32%, rising from 25 calls in June 2023 to 33 in June 2024, an increase of eight calls. Additionally, the number of passengers grew by 13%, with a total of 60,922 passengers in June 2024, compared to 53,852 in the same month in 2023, an increase of 7,070 passengers.

Data from June and the first half of 2024 show a positive trend in cruise activity at the Port of Lisbon, highlighting a particularly strong June and an overall trend of consolidating activity throughout the semester. The cumulative number of calls saw a 1% growth, with a total of 154 calls in the first half of 2024, compared to 153 calls in the same period in 2023.

On the other hand, the number of passengers in the first half of 2024 reached 272,187, compared to 293,213 passengers in the same period in 2023, a decrease of 21,026 passengers (-7%) due to the results of the first quarter. This drop was attributed to the reduced number of calls by the operator NCL, which altered its ship itineraries to diversify its offerings. Conversely, in the second quarter of 2024, there was a positive variation, with an increase of 1,480 cruise passengers in Lisbon (+1%) and a growth of 16 calls (+14%), compared to the same period in 2023.

It should be noted that in 2023, cruise activity at the Port of Lisbon surpassed the 700,000 passenger mark for the first time in its history (758,328), representing a 54% increase over 2022 and exceeding the previous record of 577,603 passengers in 2018.

APL president, Carlos Correia, highlighted “the important achievement of this first half-year, which was the approval of funding for the first phase of the project (2023-2027) ‘Implementation of the Onshore Power Supply (OPS) system’ for the Port of Lisbon: a project that will create electrical infrastructure to supply energy to ships directly at the dock, thus reducing the impact of the carbon footprint, as this system allows ships to shut down their engines while docked!”

For 2024, in line with APL’s strategic objectives in promoting a balanced approach to the sustainability of cruise activity, more turnaround calls are planned, which are crucial for optimizing this business and essential for creating value for the Port of Lisbon and the City.

Additionally, in the first half of 2024, the Port of Lisbon hosted the christening of the cruise ship “Silver Ray” from the Silversea company, one of the most eco-friendly ships in the world, which uses hybrid energy sources. When docked, it generates no emissions as it uses fuel cells, batteries, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) as its primary fuel. This technology allows for an overall 40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to its previous class of ships.

The ecological transition, a common goal among all cruise ship companies, is essential to achieving the carbon decarbonization targets set by the EU for 2030.