The port city of Durban’s status as a leading cruise
destination was cemented on Saturday, 16 November with the arrival of the MSC
Orchestra cruise liner on her maiden voyage to South African shores, as well as
a sod-turning ceremony to mark the start of construction of the new Durban
passenger terminal. General Manager: Port of Durban, Moshe Motlohi says the
port’s cruise sector developments reflected growing confidence in Durban as a
cruise prospect.
“We thank MSC Cruises for continuously deploying their
cruise vessels to the South African market, which has increased our country’s
cruise competitiveness. MSC Orchestra’s use of the Port of Durban as her
homeport will see even more domestic and international tourists enjoying
itineraries that take in our South African hub cruise ports of Durban and Cape
Town, as well as ports in neighbouring countries such as Mozambique and
Mauritius.”
He adds: “TNPA, in partnership with the City of Durban and the province of
KwaZulu-Natal, is growing Durban as a Smart Port City and a world-class cruise
capital. This aligns with the KZN Integrated Maritime Industry Development
Strategy launched onboard the MSC Sinfonia in 2013, which highlighted Maritime
Tourism as a catalyst for economic development.”
Sod turned
TNPA and the KwaZulu Cruise Terminal (KCT) consortium – in which MSC Cruises is
a partner alongside empowered investment entity Africa Armada Consortium –
broke ground on the construction of the Port of Durban’s new cruise terminal.
Motlohi said the new terminal development dovetails with the City of Durban’s
new beachfront promenade extension from uShaka beach southwards to the harbour
entrance, as well as the future development of Durban Point Waterfront.
Transnet plans to commence construction on its own section of the promenade in
quarter three of 2020 which will connect to the new cruise terminal, allowing
cruise passengers direct access and connections to the central beachfront with
relative ease and safety.
“This is going to change the face of Durban,” said Motlohi. “The
cruise industry is the fastest-growing category in the leisure travel market,
and TNPA’s decision to build a dedicated cruise terminal in the port is well
supported.”
The new green and energy-efficient terminal will boast a host of new features
and facilities, with a retail component, as well as multi-purpose training,
conferencing and events facilities.
Festive season ready
To ensure Durban’s readiness for the bumper festive season,
TNPA has had its dredging vessel hard at work pumping sand along the new
portion of the city’s Golden Mile which is expected to attracts tourists in
their thousands. Sand collected by the dredger during TNPA’s usual harbour
dredging operations is being discharged onto the new beach area from uShaka
beach southwards towards the harbour entrance.
Durban’s cruise sector growth
During the 2019/20 cruise season which runs from October 2019 until late April 2020, at least 23 luxury cruise ships operated by at least 17 international cruise lines are scheduled to call at the country’s six cruise ports. Of these, the Port of Durban is expected to welcome at least 17 cruise liners.
The port’s 2018/19 cruise season figures were up by 29.4% from 197 382 in 2017/18 to 255 422 in 2018/19.https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/582/198055.html
