The towering giants of the sea that will arrive at Anglesey port this summer

A bumper season for the Welsh cruise ship industry will see giants of the sea at Holyhead port this spring and summer. The Anglesey town has a packed schedule of cruise ship visits - with more than 60 liners due in.

They range from the gigantic 330 metre long Regal Princess with 3,500 passengers to the more modest 73 metre Ocean Nova. Pulling into port today (May 11) will be Viking Sky, a 228 metre liner carrying close to 1,000 guests.

This one will be using the Deep Water Berth - a jetty with a concrete deck on steel raking piles, which is managed on behalf of Stena Line. It can accommodate vessels of up to 300 metres and brings the ships in close proximity of the town centre.

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The smaller vessels - up to 100 metres - can use the 'Refit Berth' - located in the Inner Harbour.

For the absolute giants it is an anchor off the port and then tender vessels to bring passengers ashore. This method will be used by the Regal Princess on its five planned visits to Holyhead this year - starting on May 20, with the last trip on September 5.

The longest ship due to use the Deep Water Berth this year is the Rotterdam - which is 297 metres long and can accommodate around 3,000 passengers. It has 13 passenger decks and will make an impact when it gets into town.

Views on the vessels can be divided although they do bring a good economic benefit as high spending tourists pour off the ships to visit attractions on Anglesey and further afield.

MW Nieuw Statendam made an arresting sight when it neared Anglesey for a one-day visit last year. Some called it a “very impressive” sight while others labelled it “Hideous” and a “Monstrosity of the seas”.

Welsh Government said cruise ships are now “big business” in Wales. Last year’s cruise calls brought more than 80,000 passengers and 39,000 crew to Wales, equating to a potential passenger day-spend income of £8.3 million.

To increase onshore spending, Cardiff has been working with Cruise Wales – a partnership between the country’s six cruise ports – to develop new onshore tour itineraries for passengers.

In Holyhead the Town Council is now responsible for co-ordinating the cruise ships in the town and can boast a stunning schedule for the next five months.

The council said: "Cruise visits are vital for Holyhead and Anglesey. Last year, around 25,000 passengers boosted our town. Cruise Wales, Stena, Holyhead Town Council, and the Isle of Anglesey Council are working to bring more visitors. Our dedicated Welcome to Holyhead volunteers provides valuable assistance at the port promoting the Island."

The schedule for this month:

May

11: Viking Sky

13: Seabourn Ovation

14: Viking Neptune

19: Norwegian Dawn

20: Regal Princess

21: Rotterdam

22: World Navigator

25: Renaissance

26: Le Dumont D'urville

31: Hebridean Sky