Cruising forward

The new terminal – the fifth at the port – has been designed to accommodate larger cruise ships and allow more than 6,000 passengers to disembark and embark in a single day. Passengers from MSC Cruises’ MSC Virtuosa were the first to set foot in the Horizon Cruise Terminal ahead of its formal opening later in the year.

Leading the way in the ‘next generation’ of world-class cruise terminals, the two-floor building’s futuristic design features curtain wall glazing and curved glulam beams and exposed soffits to create the spectacular wave shaped roof. It includes passenger lounges, VIP suite, £5m ship to shore air bridges and stone cladding at the entrance in a salute to Southampton’s historic city walls. It also includes 2,000 roof-mounted solar panels and shore power connectivity allowing ships to ‘plug in’ while alongside once it is commissioned later this year

Hampshire-based Brymor Construction was the main contractor for the flagship building for Associated British Ports (ABP) at Western Docks.