THE PORT OF ABIDJAN WELCOMES THE LARGEST CRUISE SHIP IN ITS HISTORY
Côte d’Ivoire is becoming an increasingly popular destination for tour operators and attracts many visitors who are keen on tourist cruises. The ZUIDERDAM, a magnificent liner of the shipowner HOLLAND AMERICA LINE, docked at the port of Abidjan on Sunday 26 March 2023, with 2,128 people on board, including 1,364 passengers and 764 crew members.
Flying the Dutch flag, this 11-storey giant of the seas is to date the largest cruise ship docking at the port of Abidjan. She is 286m long, 32m wide, with a draught of 8m.
Coming from Takoradi, Ghana, and departing from the port of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on 15 December 2022, the cruise ship will make several other stops, successively in Banjul (Gambia), Dakar (Senegal), Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Arrecife (Spain), before finishing its journey in Agadir, Morocco, on 4 April 2023. The arrival of the ZUIDERDAM in Abidjan was made possible thanks to the expertise of the Sea Invest Shipping Agency (SISA) Ivory Coast, which chartered the vessel to Abidjan.
This long stopover in Abidjan was an opportunity for adventure enthusiasts to discover the many tourist sites in Côte d’Ivoire. Several tourist circuits, each as rich as the next, were offered to 700 passengers.
The passengers were able to immerse themselves in the rich cultural heritage of Côte d’Ivoire, visiting the craft village of Treichville, the museum of civilisations of Côte d’Ivoire and the Cathedral of Saint Paul du Plateau, the beaches and the national museum of costume of Grand-Bassam, but also by hiking in the Banco forest on the road to Yopougon and the botanical garden of Bingerville.
This ship, with its modern and contemporary architecture, offers its passengers a wide range of services: specialised restaurants for gourmets who love American and Italian cuisine, dance halls, karaoke, gallery and piano bars, terraces, art rooms, verandas, covered swimming pools; and on the upper deck of the ship, a basketball court dedicated to the crew, as well as an open swimming pool, which offers one of the most beautiful views of the city of Abidjan and the modern infrastructure of the port of Abidjan.
The regular berthing of these cruise ships is not only an indication of the quality of the infrastructure and services offered by the Abidjan port platform, but also of the safety and security of Ivorian waters.
It should be noted that since its commissioning in 2002, the ZUIDERDAM has carried out 784 cruises around the world. As a reminder, the SISA agency is on its third cruise ship charter in Abidjan. The last one was the M/S ZAANDAM, in December 2022.
Source : PAA
