3,000 tourists due to descend on Bermuda today

A lot can happen in a day — and by the time the sun sets this evening 3,000 cruise passengers, 170 containers and 152,000 barrels of fuel will have been transported to Bermuda’s shores from across the Atlantic Ocean.

The tourists from New York will spill out onto the streets of Dockyard when the Norwegian Dawn docks at 6am on her 21st journey of the year.

Cargo

About half an hour later, the Somers Isles and her cargo of boats, foods and supplies is due to arrive in Hamilton from Florida.

The container ship will join cruise ship the Veendam in the capital, which made the quick trip from Murray’s Anchorage off St. George’s with her cargo of 1,300 passengers yesterday morning.

While the stevedores are unloading the Somers Isles and the latest batch of tourists are milling through streets of Hamilton, the Ocean Current will rumble into Bermudian waters.

The tanker is due to sail into the East End in the early morning and come alongside at the Oil Docks at about 11am. She is bringing in fuel for Belco from Houston in the U.S.

The tanker will siphon off more than 150,000 barrels of fuel, which will power the huge generators that supply electricity to the island.

The Ocean Current will set off for home again the next morning, while the Veendam, Somers Isles and Norwegian Dawn will be with us until Friday.

Passengers

There are only three other ‘big ship’ arrivals this week.

The Bermuda Islander is expected to arrive in Hamilton tomorrow just after 8am, while the Norwegian Spirit cruise liner and her 2,000 passengers are due to sail into Dockyard on Sunday at about 11am.

Finally, the Oleander container ship makes up the week’s shipping movements and is scheduled to arrive in Hamilton on Sunday evening.