MSC Virtuosa becomes largest cruise ship ever to call in SA amid Red Sea crisis

MSC Virtuosa called at the Port of Durban’s Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal this week, becoming the largest cruise ship ever to dock in South Africa, even if it was only a technical stop.

MSC Virtuosa made a ‘technical stop’ to refuel and replenish food supplies as part of her return journey to Europe, after being diverted to avoid risks in the Red Sea following Houthi militant attacks on international shipping.

The ship spent the northern winter months cruising roundtrip from Dubai in the Arabian Gulf, and was due to reposition to Europe via the Suez Canal, but her repositioning itineraries were cancelled in favour of a circumnavigation of Africa without passengers.

MSC Virtuosa, which can carry up to 6,000 passengers and has a crew of more than 1,200, is even larger than MSC Bellissima, the giant MSC cruise liner that spent the South African summer homeporting in Durban and Cape Town.

She joins Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria, which are also in South African waters this week due to itinerary changes that avoid the Red Sea.

South African ports, especially Cape Town, are benefiting from cruise vessels avoiding the Red Sea, and even though she’s carrying no passengers, MSC Cruises South Africa CEO Ross Volk, suggested Virtuosa might be back.

Volk told Moneyweb that MSC Virtuosa’s stopover was “a deliberate call to the continent and Durban” to showcase the mega vessel and the new cruise terminal, which MSC Cruises designed with its newest, largest ships in mind.

MSC Cruises owns a major stake in the Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal, which was built at a cost of around R300 million.

“MSC Virtuosa can carry over 8,000 people, including passengers and crew, and weighs over 181 000 tons. This makes it the largest cruise vessel ever to dock and sail in SA waters,” said Volk.

“It is a big deal for us, highlighting the commitment of MSC Cruises to Durban and South Africa. While MSC Virtuosa came here on a technical stop to fuel up and for fresh produce and other supplies, we have had our other cruise ships operating in SA water for years,” he added.

While the Red Sea security crisis has caused disruption and additional expense for cruise lines, by forcing many of them to route ships around South Africa, it exposes the cruise infrastructure of the country to major international brands, showcasing the investment that has been made in recent years.