Cruises: the Costa Pacifica and the Marella Explorer arrive at the Port of Taranto today
PORT OF TARANTO, 10 JUNE 2023 - Today was a cruising Saturday in the port of Taranto, which, thanks to the successful synergy with the port operators, welcomed two landings at the same time, repeating the positive experience of the previous season. In fact, the port and the city celebrated the arrival of the Costa Pacifica, a ship of the Italian company Costa Crociere, and the Marella Explorer, part of the fleet of the British company Marella Cruises.
For the Marella Explorer, today's arrival is its maiden call in the port of Taranto. The ship - in blue and light blue, about 260 metres long and carrying 1855 passengers, most of them British - arrived in the city of the two seas from Corfu and is bound for Messina. On arrival in Taranto, the cruise ship was greeted with the traditional water show by the tugboats at the Mar Grande roadstead. The Marella Cruises brand is among the first to have chosen Taranto as a port of call: the city of the two seas has been on the company's itineraries since 2017. For 2023, the Taranto cruise port calendar (link) lists 10 calls by the British company, with the Marella Explorer 2 and Marella Explorer.
For the Costa Pacifica, today is the second port of call in Taranto, after the inaugural one on 3 June, the date of the company's debut in the Ionian capital. As already announced in October 2022, Costa Cruises has chosen Taranto as a turnaround port of call, i.e. a point of embarkation and disembarkation for passengers. The partnership with the Italian shipping company is already producing significant figures: today's figures show almost 1,700 cruise passengers in transit, more than 1,700 embarking and around 1,460 disembarking. Important figures for the Port of Taranto, which boasts an expanded and renovated cruise terminal managed by Taranto Cruise Port.
The Costa Pacifica stops in the city of two seas as part of an exciting Mediterranean itinerary that includes the Greek islands, Malta and Italy, as well as Catania, Valletta, Mykonos and Santorini. Taranto is increasingly becoming a destination for international tourism, also thanks to the launch of fly&cruise packages that allow travellers from all over the world to reach the Ionian city through Puglia's airport system.
The port city of Taranto is thus confirmed as an attractive destination for cruise lines and for the thousands of passengers who, once again this year, will have the opportunity to visit the Ionian capital and the many beauties of its territory.