Hebridean Princess 

Stunning late summer Jersey weather greeted The Hebridean Princess cruise ship and her 50 passengers as she glided gracefully into St Helier Harbour from Cherbourg at approximately 12.30pm on Friday 2 September 2011 for tying up alongside No 3 berth on the Albert Pier. Operated by Hebridean Island Cruises, she has an enviable reputation for traditional luxury and exceptional service standards offered by her dedicated crew of 38.

At 72 metres long and 2112 tonnes she is small by modern cruise ship standards. The ship boasts 30 spacious, elegant and well appointed cabins with 10 being specifically designed for the single traveller.

She started service in July 1964 as The MV Columba and was based in Oban for the first 25 years of her life, operating as the MacBrayne car ferry and carrying up to 600 passengers and 50 cars between the Scottish Islands. She made the headlines in 1972 as the first vessel to make Sunday sailings in the islands, which stirred up a good deal of opposition.

In 1988 she was acquired by a new venture, Hebridean Island Cruises of Skipton, to offer luxury cruises. She underwent a major refit at George Prior Engineering in Great Yarmouth in 1989 and emerged as the luxury cruise ship MV Hebridean Princess providing cruises around the Western Isles of Scotland. She later generated huge publicity in 2006 when HM Queen Elizabeth II chartered her for a family holiday to mark her 80th birthday, repeating the experience in 2010 when the Queen again chartered her for a 2-week  family holiday around the Scottish Isles.

The Hebridean Princess stayed in St Helier until her departure for Guernsey at 7am on Sunday 4 September. It was wonderful to welcome such an historic and unusual cruise ship to our port.