SH Vega Cruise: Ghana’s first-ever passenger
ship docks at Elmina Fishing Harbour to boost tourism
The Elmina Fishing Habour with the
support of the Ghana Ports and Habours Authority (GPHA) at the Port of Takoradi
welcomed the country’s first-ever cruise ship, the SH Vega on Thursday, April
18, 2024.
The historic milestone is expected to boost
the country’s tourism industry as Ghana continues to be a desired tourist
destination for cruise explorers worldwide with Tema and Takoradi being the
traditional Port of call.
Initially built to serve the fisherfolk,
the Elmina Fishing Harbour now has a dual role of being a fishing harbour and a
cruise destination port of call.
The cruise ship which was manufactured
in Finland’s famous Helsinki Shipyard, dropped its anchor in the Elmina waters,
about 8.8 cables away from the port’s main breakwater.
“It then lowered its Zodiac
(inflatable boats) into the water before carefully disembarking the 115
passengers and crew members into the zodiac in safe batches”, a statement from
the Takoradi Port stated in announcing the arrival of the cruise liner.
On board the 280-passenger capacity cruise
vessel was 106 passengers most of whom are tourists, and nine crew members
totalling 115. The nationalities of the passengers and crew aboard the cruise
ship included Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Greece, Russia and
Nigeria. The vessel had previously sailed to some ports including Angola,
Benin, Congo, Gabon, Togo, and Sao Tome.
The tourists enjoyed some local
delicacies, traditional drumming and dance lessons with spectacular
performances from the indigenes having toured the famous Elmina Castle, the
Batik Making Center at Global Mamas all in Elmina, the Kakum National Park, and
the Cape Coast Castle.
With a world-class architectural
design, the cruise vessel has welcoming spaces for relaxation, captivating
views on each deck, intercontinental restaurants, and other amenities for
sailing pleasure.
The call of SH Vega at the Elmina
Fishing Harbour presents the country with infinite opportunities particularly to
the port and the township at large.