Cruise ship services provider, SCH, has secured a contract extension with Liverpool City Council to support all cruise vessels calling at Liverpool Cruise Terminal (LCT).
SCH has provided support at LCT for nearly 10 years and the latest three-year agreement maintains continuity, as Liverpool continues to strengthen its position as the hub for cruise ship turnarounds in the north of England.
The company provides personnel for all stevedoring, including baggage handling and stores loading, and rope handling services, while sister company Cruise and Passenger Services (CPS) also provides passenger parking services.
Around 50 staff from Merseyside are employed for each turnaround cruise call in the port with another 15 on the CPS operation.
Some 115 cruise calls are scheduled to call at Liverpool this year involving nearly 40 turnarounds, including Fred.Olsen Cruise Lines, Ambassador Line and Noble Caledonia.
In addition, LCT hosts regular calls from commercial vessels, Royal and foreign navy visits, as well as supporting maritime aspects of City events.
Head of Cruise Liverpool, John Mawer, said: “We welcome this continued relationship with Southampton Cargo Handling (SCH). Strong partnerships are a crucial element to the success of Cruise Liverpool and we look forward to a busy and successful three years ahead.
“With support from SCH for our stevedoring and rope handling requirements, I am assured we can continue the positive growth that has been seen in Liverpool over the last decade,” he said.
SCH Liverpool General Manager, Karen Grogan, added: “We have partnered LCT for nearly 10 years and have helped the city to become a leading destination for cruise ships calling in the UK. We are delighted that Liverpool City Council has chosen to extend this relationship and look forward to continuing to deliver a first class service.”
The new contract underlines the company’s role as the UK’s most extensive provider of cruise ship support, with operations in Southampton and, through sister company, Southern Maritime Services, in Portsmouth.
CPS also delivers valet parking services at Southampton, Portsmouth and Dover.
