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Surface construction work on the site of Hamburg's third cruise terminal at the Kronprinzkai quay in Steinwerder officially commenced on Friday, July 4, with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony.

In recent years the city has become one of Europe’s most popular cruise ship destinations. In order to benefit from this potential for growth, Hamburg plans to expand its status as a cruise location and has commissioned the Hamburg Port Authority (HPA) to build a third cruise terminal (Cruise Center 3, CC3 for short) in cooperation with Hamburg Airport.

In addition to construction of the terminal building, the project also includes the provision of parking spaces and access roads; the strengthening of quay walls and operation of the third terminal as well as of the existing terminals in Altona and the Hafencity.

The new terminal at the Kronprinzkai quay, in the port’s Mittlerer Freihafen area, is being constructed on a site equivalent to two football pitches. Following completion it will be able to process 8,000 passengers at any one time.

There will be separate embarkation and disembarkation areas to ensure the smooth handling of the corresponding amounts of baggage. Disembarkation will take place in the east building, while new guests are able to simultaneously board their vessel via the west building. The intersection to the new CC3 terminal will also be modified and equipped with traffic lights. In addition to land access it will also be possible to reach the new terminal by ferry. A public jetty is being built in the eastern area of the terminal complex for this purpose. The existing quay walls will be retrofitted with fenders, bollards, and pile moorings to enable even the largest cruise liners to dock in future. The cost of the overall project, including transport connections and future investment in the CC1 terminal, is some 80 million euros. The CC3 third cruise terminal is designed to be used for an initial period of 15 years.

For the first time May will not be the busiest month of the year, but rather August. There are expected to be a total of 43 cruise calls in August 2014

"With a total of 43 ship calls, the 2014 Hamburg Cruise Days and a corresponding passenger volume of approximately 125,000, August will be the absolute high point of the year," said Gerd Drossel, managing director Hamburg Cruise Center.

The 2014 Hamburg Cruise Days, from August 1–3, will see a total of seven cruise ships in the city. The first ships – the Delphin and the Europa are scheduled to arrive on August 1. On Saturday, August 2, the Gann, AIDAstella, Deutschland, Europa, and MSC Magnifica will be mooring in the city. The last ships to arrive will be the Deutschland and the AIDAluna on 3 August, turning the port into Europe’s cruise hot spot in early August as well as forming part of a spectacular parade. In addition to this, the Blue Port light installation is set to bathe the port in a magical light.

This year, the organisers will once again be focusing on the concept of bringing the cruise world onto the landside. The four kilometre-long portside event area will extend from the HafenCity Hamburg district to Altona. Twelve thematic 'islands' with live music stages; premium gastronomy; sport and spa facilities; maritime shopping offerings and cruise line promotion areas will be devoted to any- and everything to do with cruises. The heart of the event will be the Cruise Village in the HafenCity.