Africa-Press – Namibia. THE first passenger liner since 2020 docked at the the port of Walvis Bay on Thursday morning.
Passenger vessels have since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic not been able to visit Namibia. The MS Europa will visit the port of Walvis Bay for two days before sailing off to Lüderitz and returning to Walvis Bay again on 5 December.
The captain of the vessel, Dag Dverjasteim, yesterday said crew members were excited to enjoy Namibia for a few days. “I always remember Namibia, and I am excited. Many passengers want to see the game parks, dunes and flamingoes. We did not have passengers for about two years, which was sad,” he said.
He assured the Namibian public that passengers were fully vaccinated and tested every second day while they were on the ship. Most passengers are from the Canary Islands, and it took the vessel 12 days to travel from there.
Meanwhile tour operators could not contain their excitement as the tourism industry was hit hard by the restrictions the pandemic brought. “I am here to welcome the first cruise ship. I am so happy. We have really been suffering. This is going to bring us back to normal.
“I can see my fellow tour guides, the buses, and everybody is excited. We are informed that the passengers have been fully vaccinated, and have also been tested,” Willemina Haimbodi, the owner of Delly Shuttles said.
“It is the best news. It’s going to boost business. We can now start having an income again after such a long time. I think I’m more excited than the passengers,” said freelance tour guide Ivan Narib.
The operators said that they are hopeful that more vessels would follow suit. The ship carried 230 passengers, which is 60% of its capacity. This is to make space available for isolation purposes.
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