Tag Archives: Brazil

Brazil Says Cruise Is A Go, 2021-2022 Season Is On

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With government permission now granted, cruise ships are returning to Brazil in November.

After months of negotiations, the green light for the country’s domestic cruise restart was announced on Saturday.

“We’ll have cruises this year: the cruise season is authorized,” Brazil’s Minister of Tourism, Gilson Machado Neto said in a social media video.

The government was committed to bringing the ships back, he added, as the cruise industry “generates 42,000 direct and indirect jobs in Brazil.”

The country is now working with local authorities in homeports and ports of call, in order to create an operational plan for the cruise ships.

Specific health rules, protocols and quarantine definitions are also in the works and set to be published soon, the government said in a press statement. 

Preliminary protocol plans call for ships operating with reduced capacity, COVID-19 testing for all passengers prior to boarding, vaccinated crew, use of face masks onboard and more.

Shore excursions will need to be organized by the cruise lines in a bubble format, following the protocols implemented by, not only the ships, but also of the cities being visited.

The government expects calls in several destination around the country, including Santos, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador, Angra dos Reis, Búzios, Fortaleza, Maceió and Ilhabela.

Popular in the region, itineraries to Argentina and Uruguay are out of the plans for the time being. So are transatlantic crossings and other international itineraries.

Seven Ships, 570,000 Berths

After a 20-month gap, the country is set to host seven vessels for the local 2021-2022 season.

The highlight is the 2019-built Costa Smeralda, which is set to become the biggest ship ever to sail in the country.  

According to the government, 566,000 berths are being offered during the season; 35,000 up on the 2019-2020 season.

In total, 130 cruises and 570 cruise calls are set to take place between November 2021 and April 2022.

“The cruise sector is essential for the development of the nautical tourism in our country … we congratulate our partners for this victory,” said Carlos Brito, Executive Director of the Brazilian Tourism Board (Embratur).

Two MSC Cruise Ships Collide

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The MSC Orchestra (left) crashed into the stationary MSC Poesia(Image: Hernan Nunez/YouTube)
 

Click on the image above to witness the collision.

The MSC Orchestra and MSC Poesia smashed into each other outside the port in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dramatic footage captured the moment two massive cruise ships smash into each other outside a busy port.

The MSC Orchestra, a 92,000-tonne ship, collided with MSC Poesia as it tried to leave Buenos Aires, Argentina.

One onlooker can be heard shouting “No, no, no” in the shocking footage which captured the prang on Wednesday afternoon.

The vessel crunched into sister ship MSC Poesia but somehow no one suffered serious injuries.

But debris can be seen crashing into the water at Buenos Aires in the video.

Both MSC Orchestra and MSC Poesia are popular with Brits and have been deployed this summer take tourists on cruises around Northern Europe.

It’s unclear though if any Brits were on board either vessel at the time of the crash.

  • Each ship has a capacity of 2,500 passengers.
  • The Orchestra suffered minor damage in the shunt.
  • Following an investigation, the ship was cleared to sail.

But it was delayed as it set off on an eight-night South America cruise with stops in Brazil and Uruguay.

The investigation continues.

MSC Cruises, founded in Naples, Italy, but now based in Geneva, Switzerland, is the fourth largest cruise company in the world.

Rio de Janeiro: Transforming Potential into Reality

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Rio de Janeiro Port.

Rio de Janeiro is among the two main ports in Brazil, second to Santos in passengers and ship calls, but with a bright future, both as a homeport and key transit stop.

Last year, Rio welcomed 265,188 passengers, down from the year prior, like most other South American ports. For this season (2017-2018), Rio is expecting around 240,000 cruise guests.

To change the picture, the CompanhiaDocas do Rio de Janeiro (CDRJ), which essentially runs the port, wants to make the port experience more attractive to the cruise lines.

“Our goal is to bring in as many passengers as possible. We need to understand the problems, present the questions and, try to achieve the better solutions,” explained Tarcísio Tomazine, president of CDRJ.

Tarcísio Tomazine, president of CDRJ

“My job is to solve the bureaucratic problems and improve the attractivity of Rio de Janeiro’s port. We believe is Rio is a valuable destination, there’s great potential. Our job here is to transform that potential in reality,” he said.

Tomazine claims that his port is an exception in a country like Brazil.

He said Rio de Janeiro doesn’t have significant infrastructure problems.

“We can receive, without much trouble eight or nine ships at once, and we have a deep harbor,” Tomazine noted.

The Norwegian Getaway in Rio during her Olympic charter

Still, there are operational improvements. The navigational channel was adjusted so ships up to 346 meters in length can call, and the water depth is being dredged further to allow ships with drafts up to 14 meters.

The season started with Oceania’s Insignia calling on Nov. 4, with 24 calls expected through April 29.