South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has signed a deal with KwaZulu Cruise Terminal (KCT) that will see the delivery of a new cruise facility in the Port of Durban by October 2020.
Under the agreement, signed between the parties on April 16, 2018, the KwaZulu Cruise Terminal would finance, construct, operate, maintain and transfer the ZAR 200 million (USD 16.6 million) project.
“We are delighted to have concluded terms that will bring benefits to all parties, but most importantly to the City of Durban and South Africa as a growing cruise destination. In doing so, we will truly be positioning Durban as a ‘Smart Port City’ and a world-class cruise capital,” Shulami Qalinge, TNPA Chief Executive, said.
KCT, a joint venture between MSC Cruises SA and Africa Armada Consortium, was chosen as the preferred bidder for the 25-year concession project in mid-2017.
The detailed design phase will commence in April and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. This will be followed by an 18-month construction phase from January 2019 to July 2020 and the cruise terminal is expected to commence operations in October 2020 kicking off the 2020/2021 cruise season.
Looking at the cruise industry’s potential growth, with the construction of the new terminal KCT expects cruise calls to Durban to increase from 60 to 150+ calls by 2040, and passenger numbers to grow from 200,000 to more than 700,000 by the same year.