ABP has been confirmed as preferred partner on the Hull Cruise Yorkshire project.
City councillors have selected Britain and the Humber’s leading port operator to join the local authority in delivering what is seen as a potential boon for the tourism economy.
The proposal and its siting near The Deep aquarium has provoked some criticism, but addressing the Cabinet, Cllr Daren Hale, leader of Hull City Council, said: “I make no apology for supporting the cruise terminal project and I make no apology for supporting the regeneration of this city in the same way as the cruise terminal has done for Liverpool.
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“It's the right thing to do for Hull.”
With Hull as an established port, he said the city was perfectly positioned to take full advantage of the cruise ship market by becoming Yorkshire's main departure and arrival point for tourists, with the Baltic states seen as an attractive proposition.
He also described ABP as the ideal partner to work with in steering the project to reality.
ABP has operated and owned the ports on the Humber since privatisation of the British Transport Docks Board in 1983.
While focused on freight in Hull, Immingham and Goole, ABP has substantial experience elsewhere. Southampton’s £55 million Horizon cruise terminal is a leading example.
Speaking when the report putting ABP forward was made public, Simon Bird, ABP Humber director, said : “We are delighted that ABP has been chosen as the preferred partner to operate the Hull Cruise Terminal.
"As the UK’s biggest port operator with large cruise terminals in places such as Southampton, as well as being a beating heart in the city of Hull, we feel we are the natural choice to be involved in this exciting project.
"We hope it will bring jobs and investment to our area."
The report highlighted how the new cruise port will be a major transformative regeneration project delivering almost £87 million to the region over the first 15 years, generating more than 2,800 jobs.
An estimated 30,000 cruise visitors per year would cross the terminal.
Sustainability measures include installing shoreside power, allowing berthed vessels to turn off their main and auxiliary engines while in port – reducing pollutants by about 90 per cent, as well as reducing noise and vibration.
Further road infrastructure investment will also form part of the project in the future.
Initially, it's anticipated the terminal will handle between ten and 15 cruise ships visits a year. That figure is forecast to increase to around 40 over the 15-year period with a typically-sized cruise ship carrying just over 1,100 passengers.
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