Foyle Port to Close Record 2026 Cruise Season With 22 Calls
Holland America Line's Nieuw Statendam became the largest cruise ship to enter Lough Foyle and delivered the port's highest single-day total of passengers and crew.
Foyle Port is set to close its busiest cruise season on record after scheduling 22 calls from 15 cruise lines in 2026. The season is expected to bring close to 19,000 passengers and crew to Derry and Inishowen, with an estimated economic contribution of more than £1.1 million.
Passenger numbers are 32% above the previous record set in 2023, while the operating season was extended by more than a month compared with 2025. Six inaugural visits and a new vessel-size record contributed to the increase.
Inaugural calls and a new size record
The first-time callers included ships operated by Ponant, Windstar and Oceania Cruises. Le Laperouse opened the season with its inaugural visit. Passengers arriving during the year came from Europe, North America and Asia.
Holland America Line’s Nieuw Statendam became the largest cruise ship to enter Lough Foyle and delivered the port’s highest single-day total of passengers and crew. The 99,902-gross-ton ship is nearly 300 meters long and has a standard capacity of 2,666 passengers.
Foyle Port also handled two vessels on Aug. 28. Hebridean Sky docked at Fort George in Derry, while Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ Seven Seas Voyager made a return visit to Greencastle Harbour.
Capt. Bill McCann, harbour master and operations director at Foyle Port, called the results “a clear indication of the growing confidence the cruise industry has in this destination and in the port’s capacity to accommodate vessels of increasing scale.”
Calls divided among three landing points
Foyle Port assigns cruise vessels among three locations according to ship size and tidal conditions. Lisahally operates as the commercial port outside Derry, Fort George accommodates ships alongside in the city center, and larger vessels can anchor offshore before tendering passengers to Greencastle in County Donegal.
Most summer calls use the Greencastle tender facility. From there, passengers travel to attractions, restaurants and shops on both sides of the border.
Spending ashore in Derry and Donegal
David Gilliland, managing partner at Brook Hall Estate and Gardens, said cruise visits have become a major source of summer revenue. “Our experiences are pre-booked with tour operators, so we know what numbers to expect from the cruise ships,” he said. Visitors to the property typically spend 20 to 30 per person, according to Gilliland.
John G. McLaughlin, chief executive of Donegal County Council, said the season brought thousands of international visitors into the region’s hospitality, retail and tourism businesses. “This sustained growth in cruise tourism has a real, measurable impact on the local economy,” he said.
For comparison, Tourism Northern Ireland values cruise tourism across Northern Ireland at about £27 million annually and estimated that ships brought 300,000 visitors during 2026.
The 2027 schedule now stands at 36 ships carrying an estimated 25,000 passengers across Foyle Port’s three landing areas.
