Port of Zeebrugge welcomes largest cruise ship ever in BENELUX
The Independence of the Seas has 15 decks and is 339 meters long and 56 meters wide. The cruise vessel brings 3.540 passengers and 1.376 crew members to Zeebrugge today. With a maximum capacity of 5752 people, this is the largest cruise ship to ever visit a Belgian port, even in the Benelux, said in the company's press release.
Port of Zeebrugge has seen a continuous rise in the number of cruise calls the past years. In 2010, 66 cruise ships brought 193.789 passengers to Zeebrugge. Last year, the number of cruise calls grew to 91, resulting in a passenger count of 333.349. This season, the port will receive 115 cruise vessels, 92 of which are larger than 220 meters long. Port of Zeebrugge thus expects the number of passengers to rise to 400.000 this year.
