<p><span style="font-family: arial, verdana, 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; color: #464646; line-height: 22px;"> </span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Holland America Line&rsquo;s Zaandam is scheduled to pull into Ogden Point at 9 a.m. Monday, marking the arrival of the first cruise ship of the 2010 season.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fanfare is scheduled to celebrate the ship&rsquo;s arrival, starting with a ribbon-cutting on Pier B, followed by a declaration from the town crier, and a dedication ceremony for a plaque at the Town Crier statue. Corsages will be pinned on the first passengers.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Representatives from the Victoria A.M. Society will be on hand to welcome the 1,440-passenger, 777-foot-long ship, as will B.C. Minister of Tourism Kevin Krueger.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ogden Point services are rolled out for mainly Seattle-based cruise ships plying the waters to and from Alaska.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">This year, Victoria welcomes 228 ship visits, the same number as last year&rsquo;s record high. The season wraps up on Oct. 3, when the 2,200-passenger, 971-foot Norwegian Star is to dock at 8 a.m. and stay until 5 p.m.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">When the Zaanham docks today, it will be using the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority&rsquo;s new mooring dolphin, installed to meet the needs of the latest generation of cruise ships. The dolphin, dredging, and new fenders at the pier are in a $3.3-million expenditure plan, with money coming from senior governments.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">The dolphin is 70 metres off Pier B, with a catwalk connecting it to the 243-metre-long pier. It was built to accommodate larger ships. Now that it is installed, two ships of up to 335 metres each can tie up at the same time. Last year, the largest ship that arrived was 310 metres long.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Every year, cruise ships put millions of dollars into the economy. The harbour authority calculates that last year&rsquo;s visits led to more than $70 million in direct spending. A typical visit costs a cruise line about $50,000, Servos said.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Passengers tour local attractions and pour into downtown. The Zaandam visit here is ideal from a retail perspective because the ship will be here all day, leaving just before midnight.</span></span></span></p>
<p style="width: auto; line-height: 22px; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #000000;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: small;">Last year, more than 400,000 passengers and about 150,000 crew members arrived at Ogden Point.</span></span></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>