The Port Authority of Ceuta announced the arrival on Saturday, January 14th, of the first of the cruise ships scheduled by MSC Cruises. This was the 'MSC Lirica', which entered the port at 9:00 AM from the port of Casablanca and remained until 6:00 PM, when it departed for the port of Málaga.
This marks the first time the cruise line has included the Port of Ceuta in its regular cruise itineraries. The 'MSC Lirica' carried a total of 3,000 people on board, including passengers and crew. The 2,200 tourists traveling on this ship are primarily from North America and Europe. The crew consists of 752 people of various nationalities.
The cruise ship, acquired by Pérez y Cia, was docked at the Muelle España on the eastern side. It has a length of 275 m and a draft of 6.80 m, in addition to an air draft of 47.18 m.
As it was the first stop made in the Port of Ceuta, the traditional plaque was presented by the president of the Ceuta Port Authority, Juan Manuel Doncel; the director of the Port, Adolfo Orozco; the councilor of Development and Tourism, Alejandro Ramírez; and the Commercial and Marketing manager of the Port, Víctor Jiménez.
Taking advantage of this event, at 12:30 pm, in the main office of the Port Authority, the Collaboration Protocol between the APC and Ceuta Tourist Services for the joint promotion of cruises was signed.
Regarding the Mediterranean region and the stops in Ceuta, MSC Cruises announced last February that it would sail with its ships 'MSC Lirica', with 10 stops in 2023, and 'MSC Sinfonia', with 11 in 2024. These ships will call at the Port of Ceuta on their routes from Barcelona, Malaga, and Alicante, with 10-night cruises and stops in Genoa, Marseille, Tangier, Casablanca, Marrakech, and Ceuta.
The presence of the Port Authority of Ceuta at various international cruise industry events, accompanied by the Tourist Services of the Autonomous City of Ceuta and membership in various associations such as MedCruise or Suncruise Andalucía, through which the 'Ceuta' brand has been promoted, has allowed the port of Ceuta to be incorporated into the cruise routes that absorb southern Spain and northern Africa.
