THE trickiness of the River Mersey ensures that Liverpool Cruise Terminal staff never become complacent about docking the biggest liners in the world.
Angie Redhead, cruise terminal manager, said: “It is such an exciting place to work, but I don’t start to enjoy the day of a cruise ship visit until eight hours later.
“By that I mean when the ship has cast off and is under way! Then I can relax and enjoy the feeling that the day has gone well and we’ve done a good job.
“We get some wonderful ships here, but there is something special about Cunard Line’s Queens.
“There is an air of excitement in the city and down on the waterfront, which transmits itself to us.”
Bob Swift, cruise terminal operations manager, said: “Berthing Queen Elizabeth was our best effort yet.
“She made a perfect approach and everything went to plan.
“The pilot, Ben Hayes, only used one tug instead of two, which will save Cunard a couple of thousand pounds.”
Peter Shanks, Cunard Line president and managing director, watched Queen Elizabeth come alongside from Princes Parade.
He said: “This was a very smooth arrival and the start of a very exciting day.
“It’s also wonderful to see the Cunard flag flying on the Cunard Building at the Pier Head when one of our ships come in.
“It has been my privilege not only to oversee the final visit of QE2 in Liverpool, but also introduce all three of our present Queen liners to the city.”
THE next Cunard Line visit will be on Thursday, when flagship RMS Queen Mary 2, the world’s largest transatlantic liner, at 151,400 gross tons, calls for the final day of Liverpool’s River Festival, On The Waterfront.
QM2 will dock at 11.30am on September 15 and will depart at 10.15pm. Before that there will be a fireworks display (weather permitting) at 10pm. Timings are provisional and may alter due to operating conditions.
There are magnificent views of the full length of the ship from Princes Parade adjacent to Liverpool Cruise Terminal, or from Mersey Ferries’ cruises.
Parking space is limited and travel by public transport is advised.
