South African ports ready for bumper cruise season

20th November 2017

South African ports ready for bumper cruise season

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.

“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,” says Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) CE Shulami Qalinge.

The TNPA expects to shortly finalise a terminal operator agreement with Kwa Zulu Cruise Terminal for the design, financing, construction, operation, maintenance and transfer of a new cruise terminal facility at the Port of Durban for a 25-year concession period.

In Cape Town, the TNPA in 2015 granted V&A Waterfront a concession for the operation and maintenance of the Cape Town passenger terminal for 20 years, after which ownership will be handed back to the TNPA. The operator has a three-phase growth plan in place for the facility.