When the £350 million Cunard cruise liner Queen Elizabeth visited the port of Liverpool a few days ago, it provided renewed momentum to the city’s drive to have its cruise port declared a turnaround cruise terminal. At the moment Liverpool is not allowed to serve as an embarkation or disembarkation point for cruises.

The City Council is rapidly gaining a band of supporters for its quest to become a turnaround terminal. They argue that the Brussels’ ruling, which limits them to hosting day visits only, is unfair and that allowing them to host turnaround cruises will attract many more ships to the port and generate income for the city.

The Council has also made an offer to repay at least part of the Government and EU funding it received for building its cruise terminal.

The leader of the Liverpool City Council, Councillor Joe Anderson, said “There is a huge amount of support for our turnaround facility campaign from MPs and local authorities across our region.”

He argues that a turnaround terminal will not only benefit the economy of Liverpool, but it will also bring in millions of pounds into the region and help to create many new jobs. By expanding the UK cruise industry, it will in the long run benefit and not harm other ports such as Southampton.

Liverpool presently only has turn-around cruise facilities at Langton Dock, but this has been declining in popularity over the past couple of years because the intricate lock system is not suitable for modern cruise liners.