The cruise ship schedule started in earnest in May when several vessels visited UK Ports, with further visitors this month.

On 19 June the Bahamas-flagged cruise liner Crystal Symphony (1995/51,044gt) made a call at Liverpool during her Ballads of Britain cruise and made a fine sight at her Pier Head cruise berth.

This allowed her passengers to undertake shore excursions before Crystal Symphony set sail again at 1800.

Assisted from the berth by the tug Smit Sandon (1996/398gt), she sailed down the Mersey to Dover her next UK port of call.

Crystal Symphony is owned by Crystal Cruises of Los Angeles and has visited the port previously, but is one of the increasing number of large cruise liners due to visit the port in 2010.

Supplied by Roy Cressey