Stornoway's cruise season officially began on Thursday 10 May 2012 with the arrival of M/V OCEAN NOVA.

It was the first visit to the town by the expedition ship which is scheduled to call at Stornoway twice more this season. OCEAN NOVA arrived at Stornoway Harbour at 0730 and was berthed alongside Pier No.3 until her departure at 1230.

To mark the beginning of the 2012 cruise season, Deputy Harbour Master Malcolm Nicol presented the Captain of OCEAN NOVA with a handmade Harris Tweed pennant and to mark their maiden visit to Stornoway they were also presented with the customary Stornoway Port Authority plaque.

Stornoway's brand new Cruise Ambassadors were on hand to greet the passengers of the OCEAN NOVA as they disembarked the ship. The Ambassadors provided information about the Cruise Welcome Scheme currently in place in Stornoway and ensured that the first thing the passengers saw as they set foot on Lewis was a friendly face.

A further 25 cruise calls to Stornoway are scheduled this season and Stornoway Port Authority is eager to provide all passengers with a warm welcome to the islands. Any musicians interested in performing at events, and anybody wishing to volunteer as a Stornoway Cruise Ambassador is encouraged to contact Stornoway Port Authority.

The next cruise liner scheduled to visit Stornoway is the OCEAN NOVA for the second time on her current itinerary. The vessel is expected to arrive at around 0730 on Monday 14th May.

Regular updates about Stornoway's cruise season will be posted on Stornoway Port Authority's Twitter site @SYHARBOUR