"First SA-owned, operated cruise liner to make debut
Underwater submarine viewing part of the trip, writes David Jackson
THE first-ever South Africanowned and operated cruise liner is set to enter service, operating all year round from Durban. The vessel, bought in Europe by Royal African Cruises, will be relocated to SA and will offer cruises that will initially include Indian Ocean destinations and the eastern seaboard of Africa.
The 100-cabin liner will be South African-registered, will carry a South African crew and will fly the country's national flag. Charges will be denominated in rands. The service is scheduled to begin in September with a return cruise from Durban to the Mozambican islands.
Sam Dodgen, MD and joint owner of Royal African Cruises, says the company intends to outsource strategic business units on the vessel, specifically the hospitality and hotel components. These include restaurants, lounges, cabaret areas and bars, as well as an on-board casino.
Dodgen says talks were held in Durban earlier this month with a number of tour and hotel operators, as well as John van Rooyen, chairman of the Durban Chamber of Commerce ; Roger Burrows, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development and Tourism; and Sanjic Tandom, port captain of Durban Harbour.
An unusual feature of the company's cruise offerings will be underwater submarine trips with a viewing window. A 10-seater submarine, to be based on the vessel, will be able to submerge to depths of up to 125m.
Dodgen says this is well within striking distance of a number of shipwrecks, notably the Oceanos, which sank in the early 1990s off the coast of East London and is lying at a depth of about 85m to 90m.
A cruise to follow the annual sardine run along the KwaZulu-Natal coast is planned. The vessel will operate from Durban along the east coast of Africa as far as Mombassa in Kenya, with destinations en route including Richards Bay, Beira, Maputo and Zanzibar, among others.
Four ports of call on the west coast of Madagascar are on a proposed itinerary. After its elections last year, Madagascar is anxious to build up a tourism industry to boost its economy.
Dodgen says the company has been in discussions with the Madagascar tourism ministry, the main challenge being that the country does not have the hotel, roads or transport infrastructure to cope with tourists. In addition, the four ports along the island's west coast do not have harbours.
The provisional plan is to anchor the cruise liner offshore and ferry passengers to shore in rubber dinghies. They would spend a day sightseeing and be ferried back to the ship in the late afternoon.
The ship would then sail overnight to the next port of call, where the procedure would be repeated. Tonie van der Merwe, Royal African Cruises' marketing director, says the company is considering introducing short-duration cruises along the South African coast.
"Our information is that many people do not like to cruise for long periods they want a short dynamic cruise. But we will cruise wherever there is a demand," says Van der Merwe.
He says there will be a focus on adventure-type cruises away from the conventional cruising image, where the liner will cruise at night and anchor by day, allowing passengers to take part in activities such as scuba diving, snorkelling, jet skiing and fishing.
Mar 16 2004 08:36:28:000AM Business Day 1st Editio"
Pam