He Port of Bilbao (spain) has been selected by the operator Norwegian Cruise Line as the new base for connections with continental destinations departing from Spain. The shipping company has assigned the Gem, a Jewel class cruise ship built by the German shipyard Meyer Werft and authorized in June 2006, to cover the new routes.
During its first years, the ship operated from the Port of Manhattan, visiting mainly the Bahamas, Florida and the southern Caribbean. In the summer of 2008 she became based in Barcelona, operating seven-night cruises to various Mediterranean destinations.
Regarding its characteristics after being renovated in 2015, it is worth mentioning that the ship has a beam of 33 meters and a length of 295 meters, in addition to a weight of 93,000 tons. She has capacity for 2,466 passengers that can be accommodated in her 1,060 cabins, spread over 12 decks.
As for its route, the Norwegian company’s ship will offer a route that will cover a good part of Western Europe and another through the Mediterranean. The first route will have Amsterdam as its destination and, on its itinerary, it will pass through Lisbon or La Coruña.
On the Mediterranean option, Norwegian Gem’s first stop will be Lisbon, with a stopover on the French Riviera in Saint-Tropez. The cruise will also stop in Italy and other points in France. The ship will start operating from the Port of Bilbao in September 2023.
Meanwhile, the Port of Bilbao will have a new direct maritime service that will link the site with the east coast of the United States, thanks to the operator Ellerman City Linerswhich will offer a weekly scale for multimodal container transport.
