Cruise ship docks at Mombasa Port with 1700 passengers

The Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) has announced that the Port of Mombasa is honored to receive cruise vessel MS Ambience on a maiden voyage to Mombasa.

The vessel, carrying 1, 700 passengers, docked at the port of Mombasa Wednesday morning from Victoria port in Seychelles.

Passengers from different nationalities are set to spend two days at the coast which the authority said will serve as a big boost to the tourism sector.

"It has been a good cruise season for KPA, as we have received a fleet of vessels since the circuit began sometime in September last year," the authority said on X.

"This has been supported by the now operational ultra-modern Cruise Terminal which was developed by the Authority to enhance passenger experience at the Port of Mombasa and solidify Kenya's position as a hub not only for cargo operations but also for cruise tourism in Africa."

In February 2023, Mombasa Port received a cruise ship, MV World Artania docked with 1,500 passengers.

The ship docked with about 800 tourists disembarking for excursions to Masai Mara, Tsavo and other tourist attraction sites.

It was the second ship to visit Mombasa after the MV World Odyssey docked with 795 passengers and crew on January 26, 2023.

Top officials of the Kenya Tourist Board and Kenya Ports Authority were at hand to receive the ship.

He said the collaboration between KPA, KTB and other government agencies has helped to improve cruise tourism in the country and called for aggressive marketing to boost the sector.

The completion of the modern Sh1 billion cruise ship terminal has put Mombasa port on the world map attracting luxurious vessels with high-spending tourists.

The terminal is among the multibillion-shilling projects at the port of Mombasa that seek to improve tourism and investment in a bid to reinforce the country’s economic development.