Not all that long ago, say 12 to 15 years, if anyone told me the port of Southampton was to grow into a major global centre for the multimillion-pound, international cruise industry, I would have probably laughed in their face. How pleased I am now to admit I would have been absolutely wrong.

However unlikely the idea sounded in the past, the prophesy has now become reality, and the city proudly boasts being the cruising capital of the UK and northern Europe, earning huge amounts for the local economy and safe-guarding thousands of jobs in the region.

If ever there was any doubt about these claims then a stroll along Southampton’s historic waterfront would have proved the point yesterday.

For the first time in 50 years Southampton Docks saw a total of six cruise ships, including some of the most famous passenger vessels in the world, alongside the port in just one day.

This impressive sight was the result of years of hard work and investment by Associated British Ports (ABP), owners and operators of the docks, together with the cruise lines who have brought these remarkable ships to Southampton.

Southampton and its people have long held an enviable reputation for having the expertise and experience for handling ships and large numbers of passengers, which is rooted in the past during the great era of ocean travel and legendary liners.

Over recent years the docks have taken these strengths and used them to build up an award-winning centre of excellence, where shipping operators can rely totally on a port which can turn ships around quickly, and efficiently, with a great deal of professionalism.

For their part, the cruise lines have reacted quickly to customer demands and, in many cases, have created a new, exciting and lucrative market, where previously none existed at all.

Ships have grown bigger and bigger, on-board passenger facilities previously undreamed of, such as ice rinks, rock-climbing walls, circus skill schools, interactive computer game centres, a planetarium, grass-covered decks and water theme parks are now featured on the new generation of 21st century ships.

Both the port and the cruise lines have invested huge sums of money in providing state-of-the-art passenger terminals and luxury cruise ships which have become holiday destinations in their own right.

This year the port has begun as it means to continue, not just in 2011, but far into the future as more and more ships and passengers all set a course for Southampton.