A CITY business has won a new five-year deal to keep on loading supplies and handling baggage for Saga Cruises in the Port of Southampton.

Solent Stevedores has secured the contract for cruise turnaround services for the company’s ships.

It will cover all cruise calls in the port for Saga Cruises’ newest ships, Spirit of Adventure and Spirit of Discovery.

The new contract will see Solent Stevedores and Saga reach a ten-year partnership at the Port of Southampton in 2028.

The contract was announced as Solent Stevedores’ made its return to the world’s largest cruise event, Seatrade Cruise, in Miami, Florida, after the event took a three-year break because of the pandemic.

Tom Dynes, operations director at Solent Stevedores, said: “Our new agreement with Saga Cruises is a testament to the skill, expertise and dedication which our team deliver to each and every cruise call to the Port of Southampton and the great working relationship we have held with Saga Cruises since 2017.

“The cruise industry has shown incredible resilience in the last two years and we’re proud to play such an integral part of all cruise operations at Europe’s leading cruise-turn around port.”

The contract includes mooring the ships, stores loading, passenger mobility assistance and baggage handling.

Every year at the Port of Southampton, Solent Stevedores welcomes nearly two million guests, handles 3.5million suitcases, and handles 120,000 tonnes of ships stores across 400 The award-winning, family-run company has been running for more than 20 years.

As well as Southampton, it operates at the Thames, DP World London Gateway, the Port of Immingham and the Port of Jersey, the Channel Islands and northern France.

It runs cruise and stevedoring services in Singapore after acquiring the company Nam Seng in 2028.