The MS “Romantika” berths in Cuxhaven
The mini-cruise liner and RoRo vessel, MS “Romantika”, which is operated by the Holland Norway Lines shipping company, has successfully set off from Cuxhaven to Kristiansand.
It will in future not only enable passengers to cross the North Sea, but it will transport cargo on this route too. The company Cuxport will perform the freight handling in Cuxhaven for the vessel.
The MS “Romantika” berths in Cuxhaven: a new scheduled service for freight and passengers between Norway and GermanyThe MS “Romantika” berths in Cuxhaven: a new scheduled service for freight and passengers between Norway and Germany.
The mini-cruise liner and RoRo vessel operated by the Holland Norway Lines will regularly travel between the two North Sea ports of Kristiansand and Cuxhaven from now on. The ship will operate a scheduled service three times a week and offer a reliable travel and transport link with a crossing that lasts 18 hours.
“We’re delighted by the warm welcome given to us in Cuxhaven,” says Morten Aggvin, the CEO of Holland Norway Lines. “Many logistical challenges have to be overcome in order to safeguard the shipping link. We’re very grateful that our partners in northern Germany are supporting us in this process.”
The ferry, which is 193 metres long, docks at the Steubenhöft terminal of the port infrastructure operator Niedersachsen Ports in Cuxhaven. Cuxport will handle the accompanied and unaccompanied freight trailers there in future too. The company has the best possible conditions for handling many different kinds of freight, due to its ideal location and multimodal connections – and has gained great expertise over many years. “As a multi-purpose terminal, we offer services for quicktrailer operations as well as an extensive service portfolio in handling all other kinds of cargo,” says Claudius Schumacher, the Managing Director of Cuxport. “Besides the moving of general cargo, Cuxport also handles High & Heavy cargo related to the onshore and offshore wind energy sector as well as automobiles in combination with the relevant customs and freight forwarding services.” Cuxport has been operating as a specialist company in the field of freight and automobile logistics for 25 years and will be responsible for handling all the freight every time the Holland Norway Lines vessel arrives in Cuxhaven. However, Cuxhaven not only acts as the central hub for transporting automobiles and other freight.
Cuxhaven is an attractive destination too, primarily for tourists. Passengers will be able to conveniently reach the interesting town on foot or by car on board the MS “Romantika” in future. Comfortable private cabins are available for the crossing. Cuxhaven provides maritime flair with beaches that stretch for several kilometres. The fascinating mud flats with their wealth of different species have been declared a Natural World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The largest spa town next to the North Sea in Germany registers approximately four million overnight stays every year and as many as 500,000 daily visitors during the peak season.
“Cuxhaven has something to offer people at any time of the year thanks to its many different wellness and recreational facilities, its large number of tourist attractions and its events,” says Mayor Uwe Santjer. “The fishing ports and berths for cruise liners are an additional attraction. Many guests make use of the opportunity of travelling to Helgoland or Sylt from here or visit the sandbanks with their many seals.” The major benefits offered by the coastal town also include its excellent links to major cities such as Hamburg and Bremen. The Cuxhaven business region is also extremely important for the wind power sector with its offshore industry centre and it has developed into a leading offshore base during the last few years.
In short: many locational benefits play a role in Cuxhaven and make the town an attractive hub for passengers and goods that are being transported. Kristiansand is also a popular destination with its zoo nearby – which is the largest in Norway – its amusement park, its museums and its beaches. The regular service provided by the HNL vessel now opens up an ideal opportunity to revive the service, which has operated in the past, for both freight and passenger traffic.
