AIDAdiva officially opens new Kiel terminal

**Ally** · 04-24-2007, 12:03 PM

Kiel’s new Ostseekai Cruise Terminal was officially inaugurated this morning with a maiden call by the recently delivered AIDAdiva. The ceremony was attended by prominent figures including Peter Harry Carstensen, prime minister of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel Mayor Angelika Volquartz and AIDA Cruises president Michael Thamm.

Dirk Claus, md of the Port of Kiel, recapped how the Ostseekai Cruise Terminal was built in less than a half year with a €28.5m investment supported by funds from the state of Schleswig-Holstein. State Prime Minister Carstensen and Mayor Volquartz noted the growing importance of cruise tourism for the northern region of Schleswig-Holstein and pointed to the rising contribution of cruise tourism to the local economies.

Fireworks will enliven AIDAdiva’s departure tonight, and tens of thousands of spectators are expected to gather along the shores of Kiel Fjord to bid the ship farewell. Already this morning, thousands flocked to see the terminal and AIDAdiva, which was ushered in by a parade of small ships and water cascades from a rescue vessel, a tug and a fire boat. Public entertainment has been arranged near Ostseekai.

The 40,000-square-metre terminal serves two quays of 360 metres and 285 metres in length with depth alongside of 10 metres. Fully enclosed gangways connect the terminal with both quays.

Kiel is to host 115 cruise calls and 175,000 passengers in 2007, a new record that will make the city Germany’s busiest cruise destination. The season will be crowned on 14 July when five ships are in port. The next vessel to visit Ostseekai will be MSC Opera, scheduled for a maiden call on 30 April.