THIS is the latest picture of the Eurodam cruise ship which is bringing thousands of tourists to Portland Port.

The cruise season is now well underway at the port, with more than 24,000 passengers set to descend on Weymouth and Portland over the coming months.

The Eurodam vessel, owned by Holland America Line, arrived at the island just after 7am this morning after travelling from Vigo, and was snapped by Paul Dallaway who works on cruise ships at the port.

Mr Dallaway, who is a keen photographer of ships and has his own website dedicated to publishing his pictures, said: “The ship can in from Vigo at 7.23am this morning.

“She is one of the bigger ones that will be coming into the Port, and I think she will be here for a while.”

The arrival comes as Portland Port has recently embarked on a major programme of works to serve the ever-growing number of visiting cruise lines.

The Azores, operating on behalf of German cruise line Ambiente Kreuzfahrten, and the Ryndam, also of Holland America Line, both arrived last week bringing nearly 2,000 passengers with them.

Plans are in place for local businesses to make the most of the new arrivals and Portland borough and county councillor Paul Kimber said it was ‘tremendous news’ that Portland Port was set for such a good season and welcomed the boost it would give to the island.

He added: “It is a boost for the local economy and it’s what we have been working towards – we need to keep creating jobs and this will bring more people to the area.”

Work on the first of the new mooring bollards is also expected to begin soon and when completed will enable the port to handle some of the largest cruise ships.

The port was present at the Cruise Shipping Miami event on the Cruise Britain stand to promote the new berth.

This event is the major showcase of the year for the cruise industry and will give us the opportunity to brief all the cruise lines face to face on the berth extension.

To view more of Mr Dallaway's pictures, visit pauldimages.co.uk