MSC CRUISES CANCELS ALL LOCAL CRUISES FOR THE SEASON

The world’s biggest cruise line has cancelled the rest of the cruise season in South Africa.

MSC Cruises has published a statement on its website saying that they have cancelled all scheduled cruises and plan to only start cruises again in November, if allowed to do so.

In the statement, the cruise liner said that in late December 2020 they showcased an onboard inspection of their vessels’ rigorous and robust protocol to the various authorities in South Africa, including the Departments of Transport, Health, Port Health, Home Affairs and the South African Maritime Safety Authority.

The company’s European operations have been able to operate in the European region and the South African leg was hoping to do the same after they made use of the exact same protocols followed by their European counterparts.

While authorities indicated that they were satisfied with the protocol MSC Cruises had presented, they are still waiting for approval to resume.

This delay has led to the cruise liner making the “difficult decision” to cancel the rest of the cruise season locally.

Passengers who have booked already have been presented with vouchers to make use of once South African ports and harbours are open to cruise ships again.

Image credit: Seatrade Cruise News