Artania looms above the “Whale Wall” at Maine State Pier on Wednesday morning.

Artania, a Bermuda-flagged cruise ship, eased into a berth at the Maine State Pier Wednesday morning, the first cruise ship of the season to arrive in Portland. By Nov. 7, cruise ships will have docked in Portland 118  more times. For the 1,260-passenger Artania, Portland is one of a dozen ports of call on its way from Nassau to Bremerhaven, Germany, where it is due to arrive on May 6. Portland officials expect the ships will bring as many as 172,184 passengers this year, the majority in September and October, an 82 percent increase over 2015.