MSC CRUISES AND ABU DHABI PORTS SIGN LONG-TERM AGREEMENT FOR PREFERENTIAL BERTHING RIGHTS
MSC Cruises has signed a long-term agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports for preferential berthing rights at both the Zayed Port and Sir Bani Yas Island
- Priority berthing rights at Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi and at Sir Bani Yas Island
- Agreement set to further bolster line’s position as leading passenger cruise operator in the Gulf
- MSC Seaview to be deployed to Gulf region in winter 2020-21
- Latest flagship MSC Virtuosa to serve region in winter 2021-22
Geneva, Switzerland – 12 February 2020 - MSC Cruises has signed a long-term agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports for preferential berthing rights at both the Zayed Port and Sir Bani Yas Island.
Port Zayed is the main cruise passenger gateway to Abu Dhabi, the capital city of the United Arab Emirates, and Sir Bani Yas is a beach oasis located 170 kilometres/110 miles off the UAE coast.
The contract was signed at the line’s Geneva, Switzerland headquarters by its CEO Gianni Onorato and Noura Rashid Al Dhaheri, Director of Cruise Business, Abu Dhabi Ports.
Gianni Onorato, CEO of MSC Cruises, said: “This new agreement with Abu Dhabi Ports for preferential berthing rights demonstrates another long-term commitment from MSC Cruises to the Gulf and it will further consolidate our position as the largest passenger cruise operator in the region.
“Abu Dhabi is a very important embarkation port and popular destination for ashore visits during winter cruises and we are currently serving the city and Sir Bani Yas Island with both MSC Bellissima, the most modern and one of the most environmentally-advanced cruise ships to sail in the Gulf, and MSC Lirica.
“MSC Lirica will return to Abu Dhabi and the Gulf in winter 2020-21 to be joined by the highly-innovative MSC Seaview, a ship especially designed to operate in warmer weathers. Looking further ahead, we will deploy our biggest ship to the Gulf region for winter 2021-22 with MSC Virtuosa, a 331-metre-long vessel which can accommodate 6,334 guests and is due to be launched later this year.”
MSC Seaview, which has the cruise industry’s highest ratio of open space per passenger, will make her maiden call to Abu Dhabi on 6 December, 2020 and to Sir Bani Yas Island the following day.
She will operate 14 cruises between December 2020 and March 2021 from Abu Dhabi to Sir Bani Yas Island; Manama in Bahrain; Doha in Qatar and Dubai in the UAE. MSC Lirica will offer 21 cruises between November 2020 and April 2021 from Abu Dhabi with calls to Sir Bani Yas; Muscat in Oman and Dubai.
