Durban 2023/24 cruise season exceeds expected port calls by 50%

The 2023/24 cruise season in Durban has officially closed with the departure of Oceania Nautica on May 16th following a port call as part of her repositioning for Europe.

Cruise tourism officials in the city say this season marked an important economic milestone for Durban, with 50% more cruise ship calls than anticipated.

Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) and eThekwini Municipality announced that the city recieved a significant influx of cruise tourists.

TNPA and the municipality said this highlighted the port’s growing appeal, but the primary reasons for Durban’s more-than-expected cruise calls this season was due to the Red Sea security crisis.

The situation in the Red Sea, with Houthi rebels in Yemen attacking international shipping, has prompted all major cruise lines to divert ships around South Africa, rather than via the Suez Canal.

This has led to an influx of cruise traffic for Cape Town in particular, and Durban to a lesser but still significant extent.

The season exceeded expectations, with the Port of Durban surpassing its planned vessel calls by nearly 50%, hosting 49 ships instead of the anticipated 33. 

The cruise season commenced in November 2023 with the maiden voyage of Vasco De Gama, followed by notable vessels such MSC Virtuosa, Queen Mary 2, SH Diana, and Bolette. 

MSC Virtuosa and Queen Mary 2 both called in the city as a result of the Red Sea crisis, as MSC Cruises and Cunard Line were forced to divert around Africa rather than through the Suez Canal.

The homeporting season of MSC Splendida accounted for the great majority of port calls in Durban during the cruise season.

Each arrival contributed to an influx of foreign exchange into the local economy. While Durban officials did not release financial figures, Cape Town has previously indicated that each cruise call injects around R2 million into the economy.

“The cruise season is one that we look forward to as the Port of Durban because it allows us to showcase our port as a ‘People’s Port’ and provide a scenic gateway to tourism in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN),” said Nkumbuzi Ben-Mazwi, TNPA acting port manager at the Port of Durban. 

“We pride ourselves on offering reliable and efficient infrastructure that can accommodate passenger vessels of any size,” Ben-Mazwi added. 

Ben-Mazwi said opening the Port of Durban to tourists and local communities aligned with TNPA’s “people ports” concept. This strategy integrates the port with the city and its residents, promoting leisure activities while adhering to the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code.

The new Nelson Mandela Cruise Terminal in Durban, a joint-venture between MSC Cruises and a local development firm, does the majority of heavy lifting in this regard. The opening of the cruise terminal prior to the 2023/24 cruise season provided the city with the infrastructure necessary to take advantage of the spike in cruise calls this year as a result of the Red Sea security crisis.