The Kaohsiung Port Cruise Terminal announced that it welcomed two maiden calls on the same day for the first time, hosting the Seabourn Encore and Norwegian Sky on Jan. 21, 2025.

The port said in a press release that it welcomed the ships with a ceremonial water salute and presented their captains with plaques to commemorate the ships’ maiden call visits.

The port terminal said that it had officially opened its new extended corridor, allowing the concurrent welcoming of the cruise ships. With the new corridor, the terminal can serve one large and one medium-sized cruise ship at the same time.

Upon the ships’ arrival, the port and Kaohsiung City’s Marine Bureau jointly sponsored an indigenous dance performance to welcome passengers.

According to the press release, a pop-up couplet-calligraphy classroom, led by an experienced artist, was also set up in the terminal to teach the art of Chinese calligraphy to passengers.

The Seabourn Encore was built in 2016 by shipbuilder Fincantieri and has a maximum capacity of 600 passengers. The ship’s 14-day itineraries depart from Hong Kong and are scheduled to call at Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore.

The Norwegian Sky, which has a maximum capacity of 2,004 passengers, offers 10-day itineraries departing from the Philippines and is scheduled to call in Taiwan and Japan.