Kenya: The Port of Mombasa celebrated the reception of two cruise ships MS Europa and MV World Odyssey that docked on Monday, Feb 17, 2024.
Reportedly, MV Europa arrived in Mombasa after a ten-year hiatus that cruised from Zanzibar with 334 tourists and 285 crew members on board. The cruise vessel is set to continue its journey to Seychelles.
According to Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), 222 tourists from the ship took the opportunity to explore the Mombasa city and visit nearby national parks, in Kenya.
As per the sources, the MV World Odyssey, which is popularly known as ‘Semester at Sea’ arrived from Cochin, India. It is its fourth call to Mombasa, carrying 677 students and 178 crew members, with plans to stay at the Port of Mombasa for six days.
Considering this, the Managing Director of the KPA – Capt. William Ruto reiterated the dedication to boost cruise tourism as the season looks promising with another cruise ship expected to arrive in a week, bringing about 2,000 tourists at the port.
The cruise tourism market of Kenya has become the fastest growing segment in the entire travel industry across the globe. It is offering a plenty of variety of cruises these days.
Notably, Cruise Tourism is fundamentally a form of enclave tourism and it incorporates all the aspects of the tourism industry such as transportation, accommodation, attractions and hospitality.
MS Europa
It is a cruise ship owned and operated by the German company Hapag-Lloyd Cruises. It is the 6th ship, named Europa in the company’s history. For twelve years, continuously in a row, the MS Europa was recognised with the title ‘Best Cruise Ship In The World’ by Ward-Ranking and Berlitz. The previous Europa is currently sailing as the Saga Sapphire for Saga Cruises.
Europa’s exterior was designed as luxury cruise ship. It is one of the first ships that is designed with the ABB Azipod propulsion system, implemented to reduce vibration towards the stern of the ship.
The interior is designed to provide space to 204 passenger cabins of various sizes. The facilities include an atrium, casino, dining area, swimming pools, cinema and a gym with spa. The ship also has a designated nude sunbathing deck.
MV World Odyssey
The cruise ship sails under the flag of the Bahamas. It is operated by semester at Sea and serves as a floating campus and home for students. It was built in 1998, the ship is 175 meters long and 23 meters wide.
It has a classroom, a library, a student union and other amenities to a land-based campus. Every year it hosts more than 1200 participants. It has undergone through dry-dock maintenance routine in 2016 and 2020.