The additional infrastructure has been built to accommodate a forecasted growth in cruise demand out of and to the city, which is expected to rise to an additional 250,000 passengers per year.

“When I first started six years ago, we had around a dozen cruise departures a year – now, we’re on track for 100,” port director Mike Sellers told TTG.

Having secured the funding from the government’s levelling up fund in October 2021, Sellers said the port got to work on the expansion “as soon as possible”. 

“We have been on a journey, we wanted to expand our cruise presence in 2019 but were delayed because of the pandemic,” he explained.

The port put the finishing touches on the extension this month ahead of the arrival of Saga’s Spirit of Discovery, which recently announced plans to homeport in Portsmouth.

Asked whether Portsmouth intends to lay down the gauntlet to Southampton, Sellers said he views the extension as “a compliment to the Solent” rather than a challenge to its neighbouring port.

“We can’t take 360 metre ships which hold 5,000+ passengers, our maximum is 300 metres and 2,500 passengers,” he explained

“But we have found a niche when it comes to cruising, particularly around the boutique and expedition cruise market, where we have excellent relations with a number of lines.”

Believed to be the UK’s first net carbon neutral port terminal, the building will feature solar PV and battery storage, sea water heating and cooling systems and external and internal living walls.