MSC Cruises cans South Africa 2020/2021 Season
MSC Cruises said today that the delay to approve cruise operations in South Africa had led to the Company cancelling all its remaining sailings for the 2020/21 season. MSC Cruises has worked since March 2020 in close collaboration with the relevant authorities in South Africa for approval of its comprehensive health and safety protocol designed for the wellbeing of its guests and crew.
We have appreciated our interaction with government and thank them for their hard work and diligence in all our communication during these difficult times. In late December 2020, the Company showcased an onboard inspection of the vessels’ rigorous and robust protocol to the various authorities in South Africa including the Department of Transport, Department of Health, Port Health, Department of Home Affairs together with the South African Maritime Safety Authority.
While authorities indicated that they were satisfied with the protocol MSC Cruises had presented, we are awaiting approval to resume.
Ross Volk, Managing Director, MSC Cruises South Africa, said: “We are as disappointed as our guests will be that we have had to cancel their holiday plans despite our strenuous efforts to demonstrate that we can operate safely and ensure the wellbeing of our customers, our crew and the destinations we visit with our industry-leading, proven and effective protocol. We did our best to resume operations in South Africa safely and responsibly so that it was possible to sail in the region, just as we did in Europe. This was a difficult decision to make as we had invested in preparing as much as possible while the relevant authorities conducted their analysis. While we await their final decision, the delay makes it impossible for us to perform the remaining sailings.”
Ross Volk concluded: “At the same time, we are optimistic for the future about cruise holidays in South Africa and for the 2021/22 season we will offer our guests, with whom we already have a long-standing relationship, memorable, relaxing and safe holidays on board two MSC Cruises ships based in the country for the first time.
“We would like to thank all our guests, travel agents, partners, destinations and local authorities, who have given us support in these challenging times.”
