A Bermuda delegation participated in a plaque exchange on the cruise ship MS Aurora.

The meeting came as the P&O ship made a short stop-over at King’s Wharf in Dockyard.

Transport minister Walter Roban led the delegation on board the Bermuda-registered luxury liner, which arrived from the port of Charleston, United States, on its inaugural visit to the island.

Stopping in its home port for the day and then sailing to Ponta Delgada, Azores, the vessel carried around 1,900 passengers and a crew of 850.

Mr Roban welcomed deputy captain Alan Hawkins and the crew of the sixth largest of eight ships in service with P&O Cruises. He said: “Visitors have been cruising to Bermuda for more than a century and, today, we welcome more than ever before, in three ports of call.

“It is as a result of great organisations such as yours — and modern marvels like the MS Aurora — that travellers are finding ocean cruising more comfortable and rewarding. I congratulate you and your crew for your participation in the growth of the cruise industry.

“The island’s popularity as a vacation destination is growing — both for cruise ship visitors and air travellers — as more people learn of our mid-Atlantic paradise.”

Those at the ceremony included officials from the Ministry of Transport, Marine and Ports Services, the BTA, host port Wedco, ship’s agent Meyer Agencies and the Bermuda Shipping and Maritime Authority.