The Port of Québec's international cruise season officially began this week with the arrival of Holland America Line's Veedam at the Ross Gaudreault Cruise Terminal. This marks the Veendam’s 66th call to the Port of Québec since its first visit in 1996. For the 2017 season, the 1,627-passenger ship will make 18 calls.
Holland America Line will send four of its ships to Québec in 2017: the Zuiderdam, the Veendam, the Rotterdam and the Maasdam. Holland America Line ships will make a total of 42 calls to the Port of Québec this year.
Ships Calling in Québec
The 2017 season will bring in a record 131 calls by 34 cruise ships from 25 different lines - five more ships than 2015, which, according to a release, was the city's best year on record.
Five ships will be visiting the Port of Québec for the first time: Le Soléal operated by Ponant, the Viking Sky and Viking Sea operated by Viking Cruises, the Silver Muse operated by Silversea Cruises, and the Norwegian Jade operated by Norwegian Cruise Line.
Future Projects
According to Port of Québec's website, following the international cruise forum in 2014, the president and CEO of the Québec Port Authority presented a large-scale tourism project called: "Québec, a destination of choice on the St. Lawrence." This $89.5 million dollar project involves redesigning and expanding the Ross Guadreault Cruise Terminal, as well as installing a mobile terminal at wharf 30 in the Estuary sector. The project will reportedly:
- Double the accommodation capacity of the Ross Gaudreault Terminal
- Improve the accommodation capacity for big ships
- Improve the customer experience with a second terminal that meets international accommodation standards
- Meet ships’ logistical needs for embarkation/disembarkation operations
- Increase the capacity of our infrastructures to accommodate 400,000 passengers by 2025
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