THE ports Falmouth and Plymouth could be vying for future South West cruiseship business as they both await vital funding to carry out much-needed improvements to their port infrastructures in order to attract cruiseship companies to the region.

Port managers in Falmouth are desperate for a multi-million pound dredging scheme to be given the go-ahead by Government agencies. The £6.9 million dredging scheme will allow the largest cruiseships afloat to berth on the Queen's jetty whilst providing A&P Falmouth with a valuable deep-water ship repair berth when not used for cruise business.

The urgency for this deep water berth was evident this week when the cruiseship Thomson Celebration had to anchor in the bay for six days while the RFA Fort Victoria completed engine repairs.

Along the coast at Plymouth plans to extend Trinity Pier in Millbay Docks to allow 200 metre long cruiseships to berth looks hopeful as Associated British Ports recognise the dramatic impact Falmouth is having on their potential cruise business.

A&P Falmouth port operations director Mike Reynolds said that he hopes the results of a seabed core sampling operation undertaken in October would be released within the next two months in order to progress Falmouth's dredging scheme.

Commenting on the Plymouth proposals Mike said: "I am aware of the Plymouth project. Any increase in cruise business is good for the region. Both schemes will attract more ships to Devon and Cornwall."

It is estimated that £3 million is required to revamp and extend Trinity Pier to allow larger cruiseships greater access to the Port of Plymouth. Colin Greenwell Associated British Ports' manager said: "There is a very strong possibility of it happening." He said he was hopeful of receiving £1.5 million from ABP with commercial operators and developers making up the balance.

The majority of cruiseships visiting Plymouth anchor in Plymouth Sound with passengers being tendered to the shore an option not really favoured by cruise companies.

Mr Greenwell conceded that Falmouth cruisehip operations are having an effect on Plymouth's trade. "At the moment we are losing trade to Falmouth because of our inability to facilitate these liners," he said.

However, if the future trend in European cruising is to use 100,000 ton plus, 300-metre ships capable of carrying upwards of 2,500 passengers, then Falmouth has the distinct advantage over Plymouth in being able berth these leviathans if the dredging scheme goes ahead.

The Falmouth plan is to dredge a 7.5-metre deep channel from Carrick Roads into the Northern Arm/Queen's jetty with an alongside depth of 9.5 metres.

Harbour master Captain Mark Sansom has sent off a dredging application to the Marine Consents Unit of DEFRA. A partnership of A&P Falmouth, the Falmouth Harbour Commissioners, Falmouth Oil Services and Falmouth town council funded the £25,000 cost of the survey and the dredging application.

Approximately 250,000 cubic metres of spoil will have to be removed from the planned dredging area that runs from the North of Queens jetty eastwards out to the edge of the main channel in the Carrick Roads, just north of the West Narrows buoy.