More than 20 luxury cruise ships operated by 17 international cruise lines will call at South Africa’s ports during the 2017/18 cruise season.
Operators that have included the country on their routes this year – a number of them with multiple vessels – are: Costa Crociere, Crystal Cruises, Cunard Lines, Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, Hapag-Lloyd, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Noble Caledonia, Oceania Cruises, Phoenix Reisen, Polar Quest, Ponant, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Seabourn Cruise Line, Silversea Cruises and Transocean Tours.
Transnet National Ports Authority’s Chief Executive, Shulami Qalinge said: “As the South African Port Authority we have positioned Durban and Cape Town as stimulus cruise home ports while Richards Bay, Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth and East London continue to receive their share of cruise ships.
“We are making progress in our efforts to introduce new and modern cruise terminals with safe, reliable and efficient marine services that will provide an ideal gateway to a unique South African experience. World-class cruise facilities in our ports will continue to attract global operators, which has economic spinoffs for tour operators, hotels, game reserves, lodges and tourist attractions in our port cities,” she said.
On 30 October MSC SINFONIA became the first international cruise liner to arrive at the Port of Durban for the 2017/18 cruise season, carrying around 2300 mainly European and South African passengers and ending off a 23-day itinerary from Venice in Italy.
While Semester at Sea’s ‘floating college campus’ WORLD ODYSSEY made a return to Cape Town early last month, it is Phoenix Reisen’s ALBATROS which is regarded as the first true cruise ship of the season to call at the country’s other cruise ports. Her South African leg kicked off on 8 November in Cape Town and her other ports of call are Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth, East London, Durban and Richards Bay.
TNPA is at the tail end of negotiations and will shortly finalise its Terminal Operator Agreement with Kwa Zulu Cruise Terminal Pty Ltd (KCT) for Design, Financing, Construction, Operation, Maintenance and Transfer of the new Cruise Terminal Facility for a 25 Year Concession Period in the Port of Durban.
In Cape Town the V&A Waterfront (Pty) Ltd was granted a concession from TNPA in 2015 for operation, maintenance and transfer of ownership of the Cape Town passenger terminal back to TNPA after a period of 20 years. The operator has a three-phase growth plan in place for the facility.
These Durban and Cape Town passenger terminal projects fall under the Section 56 allowance of the National Ports Act 12 of 2005 which mandates TNPA to enter into agreements with private companies to design, develop, construct, maintain and operate facilities to ensure the provision of port services. TNPA’s intention is for the terminals to be integrated with their cities and to allow secondary uses such as for events, meetings and conferences.
Typically running from October / early November to late April / early May, the South African cruise season will include the following calls in 2017/18, although dates may be subject to change. Calls to neighbouring countries’ ports are not reflected in TNPA’s information below.
Vessel
Cruise Line
Calls
WORLD ODYSSEY
Semester at Sea
Cape Town – 7-12 October
MSC SINFONIA
MSC Cruises
Durban – 30 October 2017
Durban – 3 November 2017
Durban – 6 November 2017
Durban – 13 November 2017
Durban – 15 November 2017
Durban – 17 November 2017
Durban – 20 November 2017
Durban – 25 November 2017
Durban – 27 November 2017
Durban – 1 December 2017
Durban – 4 December 2017
Durban – 8 December 2017
Durban – 11 December 2017
Durban – 15 December 2017
Durban – 18 December 2017
Durban – 26 December 2017
Durban – 6 January 2018
Cape Town – 9 January 2018
Cape Town – 13 January 2018
Cape Town – 15 January 2018
Cape Town – 19 January 2018
Durban – 22 January 2018
Durban – 27 January 2018
Durban – 29 January 2018
Durban – 2 February 2018
Durban – 5 February 2018
Durban – 9 February 2018
Durban – 12 February 2018
Durban – 16 February 2018
Durban – 19 February 2018
Durban – 23 February 2018
Durban – 26 February 2018
Durban – 2 March 2018
Durban – 5 March 2018
Durban – 9 March 2018
Durban – 12 March 2018
Durban – 16 March 2018
Durban – 19 March 2018
Durban – 23 March 2018
Durban – 26 March 2018
Durban – 2 April 2018
Durban – 6 April 2018
Durban – 9 April 2018
Durban – 13 April 2018
Durban – 20 April 2018
ALBATROS
Phoenix Reisen
Cape Town – 8 to 11 November 2017
Mossel Bay – 12 November 2017
Port Elizabeth – 13 November 2017
East London – 14 November 2017
Durban – 15 to 17 November 2017
Richards Bay – 18 November 2017
Durban – 12 to 13 January 2018
SEA ENDURANCE
Polar Quest
Cape Town – 15 to 16 November 2017
Cape Town – 25 to 26 January 2018
NAUTICA
Oceania Cruises
Richards Bay – 2 December 2017
Durban – 3 December 2017
Cape Town – 5 to 6 December 2017
Mossel Bay – 7 December 2017
Richards Bay – 9 December 2017
Durban – 11 to 12 December 2017
East London – 13 December 2017
Port Elizabeth – 14 December 2017
Cape Town – 20 to 22 December 2017
Port Elizabeth – 24 December 2017
Durban – 26 December 2017
Richards Bay – 27 December 2017
CRYSTAL SYMPHONY
Crystal Cruises
Durban – 18 December 2017
Port Elizabeth – 20 December 2017
Cape Town – 21-23 December 2017
Richards Bay – 27 December 2017
Durban – 28-29 December 2017
East London – 30 December 2017
Port Elizabeth – 31 December 2017
Cape Town – 7-8 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 10 January 2018
VOYAGER
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Durban – 30 to 31 December 2017
SILVER SPIRIT
Silversea Cruises
Richards Bay – 29-30 December 2017
Durban – 31 December 2017
Port Elizabeth – 2 January 2018
Cape Town – 5 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 7 January 2018
Richards Bay – 10-11 January 2018
Durban – 12 January 2018
East London – 13 January 2018
Cape Town – 15 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 17 January 2018
East London – 18 January 2018
Durban – 19 January 2018
Richards Bay – 20-21 January 2018
Cape Town – 25 January 2018
Cape Town – 4 February 2018
BOUDICCA
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines
Richards Bay – 5 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 7 January 2018
Mossel Bay – 8 January 2018
Durban – 8 to 9 January 2018
Cape Town – 9 to 11 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 13 January 2018
Richards Bay – 16-17 January 2018
Durban – 18 to 19 January 2018
Cape Town – 22 to 25 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 27 January 2018
Richards Bay – 30 to 31 January 2018
Cape Town – 5 to 9 February 2018
SERENISSIMA
Noble Caledonia
Durban – 21 January 2018
MS EUROPA 2
Hapag-Lloyd
Cape Town – 15-16 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 23-24 January 2018
Durban – 26 to 27 January 2018
Mossel Bay – 28 January 2018
Cape Town – 29 January to 1 February 2018
Port Elizabeth – 2-3 February 2018
Durban – 4 to 5 February 2018
Richards Bay – 6-7 February 2018
QUEEN MARY II
Cunard Lines
Cape Town – 26-27 January 2018
Port Elizabeth – 29 January 2018
INSIGNIA
Oceania Cruises
Port Elizabeth – 2 February 2018
Cape Town – 7 to 9 February 2018
Port Elizabeth – 11 February 2018
East London – 12 February 2018
Durban – 13 February 2018
Richards Bay – 14 February 2018
SEABOURN SOJOURN
Seabourn Cruise Line
Cape Town – 10-12 February 2018
Mossel Bay – 14 February 2018
Port Elizabeth – 15-16 February 2018
Durban – 18-19 February 2018
COSTA NEO CLASSICA
Costa Crociere
Cape Town – 20 March 2018
SILVER CLOUD
Silversea Cruises
Cape Town – 20 to 21 March 2018
LE LYRIAL
Ponant
Cape Town – 23-25 March 2018
Port Elizabeth – 27-28 March 2018
Richards Bay – 30 March 2018
Durban – 31 March to 1 April 2018
ASTOR
Transocean Tours
Cape Town – 28 to 29 March 2018
SEVEN SEAS NAVIGATOR
Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Richards Bay – 3 April 2018
Durban – 4 April 2018
East London – 5 April 2018
Cape Town – 7-8 April 2018
AMSTERDAM
Holland America Line
Cape Town – 3 to 5 April 2018
QUEEN ELIZABETH
Cunard Lines
Port Elizabeth – 21 April 2018
Cape Town – 23 to 24 April 2018
RMS ST HELENA
Cape Town
14-12 October 2017
8-11 November 2017
29 November – 1 December 2017
27-29 December 2017
22-24 January 2018
11 February 2018
