Super Cruise Ship Sets Sail from Saudi Arabia

  • Date: 31-Jul-2021
  • Source: Asharq AL-awsat
  • Sector:Tourism
  • Country:Saudi Arabia
  • Who else needs to know?

Super Cruise Ship Sets Sail from Saudi Arabia

The MSC Bellissima departed for the first in a series of voyages from Jeddah Islamic Port to Aqaba in Jordan and Safaga in Egypt. (SPA)

A super cruise ship has departed Saudi Arabia for the first time, setting sail for regional waters.

The MSC Bellissima, a vessel longer than three football fields, departed for the first in a series of voyages from Jeddah Islamic Port to Aqaba in Jordan and Safaga in Egypt.

The launch of the service on Friday comes two days after Saudi Arabia opened its first cruise ship terminal at the port in Jeddah, on the Kingdom’s west coast.

“The inauguration of the first cruise ship port represents an important step... to support the growth of the tourism sector in the Kingdom,” Cruise Saudi managing director Fawaz Farooqi said, quoted by Saudi Press Agency.

Developing the tourism and leisure sector is one of the foundations of Vision 2030 to prepare the Arab world’s largest economy for the post-oil era.

Constructed in France, the MSC Bellissima is 315 meters (345 yards) long and has a capacity of 4,500 passengers, making it one of the world’s largest cruise ships.

First launched in 2019 and operated by Swiss-based MSC Cruises, it will embark on 21 trips up