Hanseatic Spirit Sets Record as Largest Cruise Ship to Visit Ipswich
Passengers had nearly seven hours ashore, with a guided Ipswich walk or coach trip to Colchester focused on regional history and maritime trade.
Hapag-Lloyd Cruises’ Hanseatic Spirit made a rare cruise call at Ipswich on October 3, 2026, passing beneath the Orwell Bridge before berthing at Cliff Quay. Residents gathered along the River Orwell to watch the vessel’s arrival and departure.
Associated British Ports (ABP) said the maiden call was the largest cruise-ship visit in the port’s history. The stop formed part of a 13-night voyage from Reykjavik to Hamburg.
The ship docked at approximately 11.20am and departed at 6.10pm, giving passengers almost seven hours ashore. Excursion choices included a guided walk around Ipswich and a coach trip to Colchester. Both focused on regional history and maritime trade.
The expedition vessel can accommodate up to 230 passengers and measures approximately 138 metres long, with gross tonnage of about 15,600. Built by VARD in Norway, it entered service in 2021 and has a PC6 ice classification.
Cruise calls “support local businesses, showcase places such as Ipswich to new audiences and help generate wider economic benefits for the communities they visit,” said Paul Ager, ABP’s divisional port manager for the East Coast.
Hanseatic ties shape the port welcome
The Ipswich Maritime Trust used the call to draw attention to the town’s historic connections with the Hanseatic League, the medieval trading network that connected ports across northern Europe. Ipswich’s Hanseatic heritage was also a focus of the shore programme.
Trust representatives presented the captain with Ipswich: A Hanseatic Port, a booklet by Pat Grimwade, and Stephen Patterson’s drawing The Port of Ipswich Today. The drawing had won an Ipswich Art Society competition before appearing at the HANSEArtWorks 2026 exhibition in Stargard, Poland.
A trust spokesman thanked ABP for helping arrange the presentation. An onboard plaque ceremony also brought together Captain Claas Fischer and Neal Birkett, ABP’s commercial and agency manager.
A grain port eyes more cruise calls
Ipswich handles more than two million tonnes of cargo annually, and ABP describes it as the UK’s leading grain export port. Located at the head of the River Orwell, the port is less than a mile from the town centre.
The call followed another unusual passenger-vessel visit: the paddle steamer Waverley recently brought around 450 passengers to Ipswich for a sailing along the Orwell and onward to London.
Beyond its established Southampton cruise operation, ABP receives cruise vessels at Swansea, Plymouth and Barrow. The company said those ports provide access to destinations outside the UK’s traditional cruise gateways.
Ager said ABP intended to continue working with cruise operators and local partners to attract further calls. “We were delighted to welcome passengers to the town,” he said.
Hanseatic Spirit’s wider itinerary included stops in Scotland and London. The voyage was scheduled to finish on October 7.
