MEDIA RELEASE 2017/18 Cruise Season Underway at SA Ports [Durban, South Africa, 17 November 2017] 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 1
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 2
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 (Cargo liner) Cape Town: 14-12 October 2017 8-11 November 2017 3
29 November 1 December 2017 27-29 December 2017 22-24 January 2018 11 February 2018 Ends Image Gallery: Below: Declaring the 2017/18 Port of Durban cruise season officially open with a ceremonial ribbon cutting on 30 October were (left to right) Ross Volk, MD of MSC Cruises South Africa, Moshe Motlohi, Port Manager at the Port of Durban and Councillor Sqiniseko Shezi, representing Her Worship the Mayor of ethekwini Municipality, Councillor Zandile Gumede. Below Left: Phoenix Reisen s ALBATROS is regarded as the first true cruise ship of the season to call at the country s other cruise ports, apart from Durban. Below Right: Cunard Lines has both its largest ship, QUEEN MARY II, and its second largest ship QUEEN ELIZABETH calling at Cape Town and Port Elizabeth this season. About Transnet National Ports Authority Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) is one of five operating divisions of Transnet SOC Ltd. The National Ports Authority is responsible for the safe, effective and efficient economic functioning of the national port system, which it manages in a landlord capacity. It provides port infrastructure and marine services at the 4
eight commercial seaports in South Africa Richards Bay, Durban, Saldanha, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Mossel Bay and Ngqura. It operates within a legislative and regulatory environment and is governed by the National Ports Act (Act No. 12 of 2005). For more information visit www.transnetnationalportsauthority.net. Issued by: Ayanda Mantshongo Executive Manager: Corporate Affairs Transnet National Ports Authority Tel: 011 351 9013 ayanda.mantshongo@transnet.net On behalf of: Shulami Qalinge Chief Executive Transnet National Ports Authority 5