With 181 calls scheduled for 40 cruise ships, the port of Rostock-Warnemünde is again headed for a record year in the upcoming season.

“After the outstanding 2011 season with 158 port calls by 34 vessels we will be even busier in the New Year. That is good for the city, for the state and for the port. The world comes to visit us and the value added by cruise shipping increases, especially in Rostock,” said Ulrich Bauermeister, managing director of Hafen-Entwicklungsgesellschaft Rostock.

The 2012 cruise shipping season will begin in Warnemünde on April 23 with the transit call of AIDAsol and is expected to end on November 25 when the British passenger vessel Black Watch will leave port.

Of the 181 calls, 74 will be either full turnarounds or partial turnarounds in Warnemünde, which represents a significant increase in this part of the cruise shipping business which has the highest value added’ noted Ulrich Bauermeister.

Rostock-based shipping company AIDA Cruises will begin 33 Baltic cruises from Warnemünde.

US-based Norwegian Cruise Line and Princess Cruises as well as the Italian shipping company Costa plan to operate mini turnarounds in the port.

The cruise shipping calendar for 2012 lists three quadruple port calls on June 10, 20 and July 23.

On the first two of these dates one ship will have to berth at the seaport.

There will also be twelve triple port calls. Six vessels will be first-time visitors at the mouth of river Warnow: Costa Allegra, Costa Fortuna, Gann, Nautica, Star Flyer and Ryndam. The most frequent guests in Rostock’s seaside resort will be the cruise vessels AIDAblu (17 times), AIDAsol (16 times), Costa Fortuna (15 times), Norwegian Sun (15 times), Empress (12 times) and Emerald Princess (11 times).