ROSYTH has welcomed its first cruise ship of the year to mark the beginning of what is expected to be the busiest ever season on the Forth.

The Viking Venus sailed into the port on Tuesday as part of its journey to Bergen in Norway.

Volunteers from CruiseForth were on hand to welcome passengers and escorted around 60 guests into Dunfermline via the courtesy bus.

Peter Wilson, who organises the group of volunteers, said: "It was a busy start for the season at Rosyth with significant demand for the courtesy bus to Dunfermline.

"We escorted around 60 guests into the city, with lots of positive feedback.

"Increasingly we find that cruise line operators recognise that Dunfermline has much to offer."

According to Capital Cruising around 150 ships will arrive across all four points on the Forth and in Dundee this summer.

Rob Mason, Head of Cruise for Capital Cruising, added: "We are excited to welcome the Viking Venus to Rosyth today as we kick off our 2023 cruise season in Scotland.

"Over the summer we will see around 150 cruise calls across the four arrival points on the Forth and at the Port of Dundee with many new ships calling into our ports this year.

"The increase in passenger numbers visiting Scotland is great news for the local and wider economy."