Work has started on the cruise quay in Visby, which is expected to be completed in Spring 2018.
Region Gotland is building the cruise quay and Copenhagen Malmö Port (CMP) will be responsible for its operation.
"We are anticipating 150 arrivals per year in the future. Naturally this is positive for us, but it also contributes to developing tourism on Gotland. We are really looking forward to it", says Johan Röstin, CEO of Copenhagen Malmö Port AB.
"The fact that we have started work today on the cruise quay together with CMP and the contractor Aarsleff is an extremely important milestone, which feels incredibly exciting and gratifying," said Björn Jansson, Chair of the Regional Executive Committee, Region Gotland.
An important aspect is the environmental impact cruise operations have on the Baltic Sea. "It is important for both us and CMP that the sustainability issues are kept in focus. The ships must be able to discharge their waste water into an equalizing basin, from where it is pumped onward to the sewage works. The sludge can then be used in biogas production here on Gotland. We will thus be contributing to relieving the Baltic of additional pollution", says Patric Ramberg, technical director and project owner, Region Gotland.
Two 340-metre long ships will be able to dock simultaneously at the cruise quay when it is completed. Including abutments, it will extend a total of 530 metres out into the sea.
It will be possible to dock at Visby with an average wind of up to 14 metres per second. A terminal for passengers and crew of about 300 square metres is planned on the abutment.