Artania and SeaDream I were welcomed ceremonially at the Port of Hamburg. As well as the Costa Magica, who chooses Hamburg as her homeport for the first time. Yesterday, 31 May, the Port of Hamburg celebrated the maiden call of the Costa Magica.

Over the last weekend, May 28, the Artania  from Phönix Reisen was christened in the Port of Hamburg. The ships’ crew, cruise line representatives, passengers and guests of honour followed at the Hamburg Cruise Center HafenCity the familiar ceremony.

Only a few hundred meters down the river Elb, the SeaDream I from SeaDream Yacht Club moored in Hamburg on the same day. This was the first arrival of one of the in total two yachts that has ever called the Port of Hamburg. During the official plaque ceremony Werner Viessman from the Hamburg Port Authority welcomed the captain Bjarne Smorawski and his ship, wishing many happy returns.

The maiden call of the Costa Magica at the Hamburg Cruise Center Altona on May 31 was marked with an official welcome by a fire boat, while the shanty choir on the dockside ensured that passengers experience the city’s unique maritime atmosphere.

During the plaque ceremony the harbour captain of the Port of Hamburg presented to the captain of the Costa Magica, Mario Moretta, an admiralty plaque symbolizing the close links between the ship and the port. Numerous guests from Hamburg’s business world; port representatives, journalists and cruise line representatives have been present.

“It is very important to us that Costa is represented in what is, in the meantime, Germany’s key cruise location, Hamburg. In the coming year we will even have two ships departing from the city. The cruises offered by the Costa Magica and the Costa Pacifica”will provide our guests with an even wider range of attractive Nordic routes to choose from,” says Heiko Jensen, Managing Director Germany of Costa Kreuzfahrten.

Costa Crociere., a Carnival plc brand, has chosen Hamburg as the home port for the Costa Magica during the 2011 cruise season. This makes her the line’s third ship to be based in a German port this year. The “Costa Magica” represents the further development of Costa Crociere S.p.A.’s presence in Northern Europe.