Bumper cruise season for South Africa

TERRY HUTSON

OCTOBER saw an early start to the 2022/2023 cruise season for South Africa, with the port of Durban about to enjoy one of its best seasons yet in terms of not only the number of cruise ship calls, but the quality of many of the vessels.

About 240 cruise ship calls will be made to South African ports before the season ends in April next year. In that time, thousands of overseas visitors will enjoy the sights and sounds of South Africa, with visits to game reserves, scenic spots, beaches and other attractions close to the ports of Richards Bay, Durban, East London, Gqeberha, Mossel Bay and Cape Town.

In Durban, many of the ships will make use of the new KwaZulu Cruise Terminal, while others will berth at the T-Jetty when two cruise ships are in port at the same time.

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) said it expected more tourists this season as global Covid-19 regulations and restrictions have eased. Having said that, it is worth noting that in Australia, a cruise ship with 4 600 passengers on board docked in Sydney with over 800 cases of Covid-19 on board.

The cruise companies take extraordinary precautions, but this event shows risks remain when so many people congregate in relatively confined spaces.

Richards Bay can look forward to 25 cruise ship calls, which includes several ships making multiple calls. Durban is the big winner in these stakes, with no fewer than 76 anticipated cruise ship calls, including multiple calls, such as those of the summer resident MSC Cruises vessel, MSC Orchestra.

Cape Town follows with 70 calls, of which a second MSC Cruises ship, MSC Sinfonia, will provide coastal cruises to Walvis Bay, while Gqeberha will have 34 ship calls, East London 18 and Mossel Bay 16.

The queen of the oceans, Cunard’s Queen Mary 2, will make an appearance after an absence of several years. She is due in Durban on April 3, 2023.

Other new faces for Durban include two Holland America ships, Zaandam, which arrived on November 20, and Zuiderdam, due on March 10, 2023.

Durban will receive 21 cruise ships in all, a record number for one season.

“The increase of passenger ships calling at our ports is based primarily on the fact that we are in the post- Covid-19 phase,” said Captain Rufus Lekala, TNPA’s Chief Harbour Master.

THE MSC Orchestra. | Trevor Jones