Much has been written about the major impact cruise ships have not only on the local economy but the financial bearing Cornwall wide, writes David Barnicoat.

For years, this column in particular has highlighted the importance of dredging to allow the mega cruise ships to berth at the docks, as tendering passengers from the bay presents a logistical nightmare to the cruise lines. Time and time again Falmouth pilots and port officials have heard from visiting cruise ship masters and leading company executives in the industry that the larger ships do not like tendering.

In recent years all of the high profile companies have given the port the cold shoulder when it comes to the 300-metre long 100,000-ton plus ships making cruise calls here.

Princess Cruises, once a major customer for the port, has announced its 2016 European cruise programme. Only the smallest ship in the fleet, the Pacific Princess, will call at the docks.

Therefore, I asked Princess Cruises why Falmouth was not on the itineraries of the mega ships anymore and if tendering passengers ashore was a major issue for the company.

A Princess Cruises spokesperson said: “The 672-guest Pacific Princess will call at Falmouth on July 31, 2016. The call is part of our ongoing programme to offer guests variety and choice in the sizes of ship that visit ports across the UK.  Previously several of our larger ships berthed at Falmouth, and we may well look to arrange for ships of a similar size to do so again in future.

“Tendering guests ashore is not an issue.”

“We would like to thank the local port authority for their help  in arranging next year’s visit, and look forward to docking at Falmouth once again.”

Obviously, Princess Cruises, part of the massive Carnival Corporation, do not wish to cross swords with the port of Falmouth with this politically correct statement.

Tendering however must be an issue, as the major lines are not including Falmouth as a destination for their larger tonnage ships who are circumventing the port. Cornwall has world-class heritage sites, beautiful gardens and stunning scenery comparable to other areas in

Europe. The only factor missing is a deep-water channel and berth to accommodate these leviathans of the cruise world.

Of the 32 new cruise ships on the order books 23 are above 100,000 tons.

Mega cruise ships are here to stay as the industry gears up to more new buildings. The Carnival Corporation has signed two strategic memorandums of agreement with Italian company Fincantieri and German shipbuilder Meyer Werft that will add a total of nine new behemoth cruise ships to the company’s fleet over a four-year period from 2019 to 2022.

The company has yet to decide which of the company’s nine leading global brands, Carnival, Princess Cruises, Cunard, Holland America, Seabourn, AIDA Cruises, Costa Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) or P&O Cruises (Australia) will see these ships added to their fleets. The ships will be assigned based on market demand and Carnival is not ruling out a Chinese brand, with others serving the European and North American markets.

Options are expected to go through 2028 and a new class of ships is expected to be in the 175,000-ton range.

My comments two weeks ago that  a decision on the dredging appears to be a long way off apparently did not go down too well in certain corridors of power within the port.

In reality though, the capital dredging project is rapidly becoming a joke in many people’s eyes as the years disappear in the wake.

Even if the Marine Management Organisation approves the scheme the other major hurdle is reaching a funding agreement between the interested parties to pay for the project.