On August 14 Hapag-Lloyd Cruises' ship Europa 2 docked at the cruise terminal of Passenger Port of St. Petersburg. The port operator Marine Façade said this is the first time the Hapag-Lloyd Cruises vessel makes call to the port.
M/V Europa 2 was built in 2013 at STX Shipyard Saint-Nazaire, France. Christening ceremony was held in Germany on May 10, 2013, during the 824-anniversary celebration of the Port of Hamburg.
The ten-deck 225-meter-long luxury cruise ship accommodates more than 500 passengers. "The ritziest ship in the industry" boasts the largest at sea art collection, with 890 original contemporary paintings. In 2016 she was awarded the 5-star-plus from Berlitz Cruise Guide.
Germany based cruise fleet operator Hapag-Lloyd Cruises was created in 1970 by the merger of two oldest German shipping companies HAPAG and Norddeutscher Lloyd. In 2002, the cruise company became part of the Tui Group. The company's fleet consists of four vessels: Europa, Europa 2, Bremen, Hanseatic. Hapag-Lloyd Cruises offers premium cruises around the world: Asia, the Arctic, Africa, Europe, America and the Middle East.
A traditional maritime plaque exchange ceremony was held on board the ship between captains of the ship and the port.
The cruise vessel on August 7, 2016 set out on her eight-day cruise trip in the Baltic Sea on the route Hamburg - Kiel - Bornholm - Klaipeda - Riga - Helsinki - St. Petersburg.
On August 15 the ship will set sail on her way back home.
PLC Passenger Port Saint-Petersburg Marine Façade is largest passenger seaport in Russia and is in ownership of the City Government of St. Petersburg. Construction of Marine Façade began in 2006. Today the facility can accommodate cruise and ferry ships with length of 330 meters and draft of up to 8.8 meters. The length and depth of new access channels is 10 km, 11 m, accordingly. The port has seven piers. The quay-side length reaches 2,171.06 meters.