MSC Cruises is taking a three-pronged approach to the further development of the cruise sector in South Africa.

At the same time that it announced it was bringing two classes of cruise ship to South Africa for the first time during a single cruise season, the line also highlighted its role in the development of Durban as a cruise port, and its investment in a new cruise destination in Mozambique.

Pomene Bay in Mozambique is a new cruise destination exclusive to MSC SA

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MSC launched the new Pomene Bay cruise destination in Mozambique ahead of last year’s cruise season out of Durban, giving South African passengers an exclusive tender port tailor-made for one-day stopovers.

The cruise line has also committed to funding much of the development of an all-new, state-of-the-art cruise terminal in Durban in partnership with the KwaZulu Cruise Terminal Consortium (KTC).

The planned Durban Cruise Terminal

The Durban Cruise Terminal will not only improve the experience for MSC cruise passengers boarding in Durban, but also make the city an even more desirable destination for cruise ships from all over the world, according to Ross Volk, Managing Director, MSC Cruises South Africa.

“This multi-user terminal will make Durban an even more desirable destination for cruise ships from all over the world,” says Volk. “It will substantially boost tourism numbers as well as help creating local jobs and lead to local supplier development.”

Cruise ships currently docking in Durban are forced to use the out-dated N-Shed Passenger Terminal

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“The construction of this state-of-the-art terminal is an exciting project that MSC Cruises is proud to be a part of,” he adds. “All the partners in the initiative will shortly sign off the final design of the terminal and ground-breaking is scheduled for later this year.”

The new port is currently expected to be operational by January 2021, according to MSC Cruises South Africa.

The cruise terminal will therefore launch alongside the arrival in South Africa of two MSC Cruises ships (MSC Musica and MSC Opera).

MSC Musica is the largest class of cruise ship ever to homeport in the country, while the addition of MSC Opera means that MSC will have more capacity in the SA market than they ever have before.

Volk says that the demand is there to fill beds though. “[It] will allow us to meet more fully the growth in demand we have experienced over the past few years,” he previously said.