Galataport Istanbul’s new cruise terminal received its first ship on 1st October.
Around 150 passengers and crew arrived on the ‘SeaDream II’ from Varna, Bulgaria for a two-day homeport stay before sailing back to the Bulgarian port of Burgas.
Galataport contains the world’s first underground cruise ship terminal. The quayside is capable of accommodating three ships handling 15,000 pax per day, including the ‘Oasis’ class with 8,000 persons, including the crew on board.
The 29,000 sq m cruise terminal is designed with a unique hatch system to create a temporary customs area while a ship is in port and into a promenade, once a sip has left, in an area that has been closed to the public for 200 years.
The $1.7 bill Galataport project has been built on a three quarters of a mile stretch of the Bosporus.
It will also serve as a destination offering various amenities, such as a Renzo Piano-designed new museum building of Istanbul Modern, plus other museums.
