Starting from spring 2018, America Cruise Terminal will become a new location for cruise ships in Sweden as the present cruise terminal at Frihamnen needs to be relocated.
According to the Port of Gothenburg, 2017 will be the final season in which cruise vessels can dock at Frihamnen due to the fact that the area will form part of a major urban development scheme with the construction of homes and offices, forcing the terminal to find a new location.
The new central cruise terminal will be located at Stigbergskajen in Masthugget. The quay and part of the terminal building, Amerikaskjulet, are currently being restored.
“It is an old quay – the first quay in Gothenburg for oceangoing traffic – and it is in considerable need of repair and renovation. We are working flat out to have the work completed before the first call in 2018,” Jill Söderwall, Vice President Cruise at Gothenburg Port Authority, said.
The maximum length for vessels calling at America Cruise Terminal will be 225 meters – 25 meters longer than the current maximum length at Frihamnen. The Port of Gothenburg revealed that seventeen ships are already scheduled to call at the new terminal.
Around half of the ships that call each year sail under the Älvsborg Bridge and dock centrally. The largest vessels will continue to dock at the terminal at Arendal, according to the port.
Amerikaskjulet was constructed in 1912 and operated as a passenger terminal until 1975.
Over 100 years ago, the first Swedish American Line vessel sailed for the USA from Stigbergskajen in Gothenburg. The same quay is now being resurrected as a cruise reception center under the name America Cruise Terminal.
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