Twenty-four cruise ships called in the Port of Valletta during the month of June 2010. The vessels carried 44,506 passengers or 38 percent more than the total for June 2009 (32,235). With these latest figures, the number of passengers who called in Valletta since January stands at 198,152 compared to 132,454 passengers during the first six months of last year, up nearly 50 percent year-over-year.

First time callers included the Spirit of Oceanus and the Golden Iris for its new owners, Mano Maritime. And on June 29, the Costa Allegra carried out its first full-fledged turn-around, which involved about 930 Maltese passengers.