Norwegian Cruise Line chooses Panama as Home Port for new cruise operations

The Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) company has selected the port terminals of Colón 2000, in the province of Colón, and the Cruise Terminal of Panama, in the province of Panama, as its new Home Port (Base Port) for cruise operations, as announced by the Director of Ports and Maritime Industries (DGPIMA) of the Maritime Authority of Panama (AMP), Max Florez.

NCL will carry out six cruise operations between December 2024 and December 2025, where four will be carried out by the Norwegian Jade and Norwegian Gem ships, with capacity for between 2,400 and 3,400 passengers, in addition, the exclusive fleet of Oceania Cruises, a luxury line, will include two operations of the six-star ship Sirena, which has a capacity for 800 passengers.

This announcement is in addition to the recent decision of Royal Caribbean International (RCI) to continue using Panama as a base port for its operations in the Caribbean during the 2025-2026 cruise season, which reinforces Panama’s position as a strategic destination in the cruise industry.

“Panama meets all the conditions to be chosen as a port of call or base port: it has a solid hotel infrastructure and an indisputable tourist attraction,” Florez said.

He added that the difference between the two types of visits: in a port of call, tourists stay in the city only for a few hours, while in a base port, the visit can be extended for several days, generating greater interaction with the local economy.

Florez also stressed the economic importance of these operations, pointing out that cruise ships pay for anchoring and use the services offered by the auxiliary maritime industry, including the supply industry, which consists of providing the ship with supplies, such as groceries, drinking water, medicines, among other supplies necessary for the operation of the ship, its crew and passengers.