Armonia cruise ship is the largest cruise ship that ever docked at the port of Paranaguá; the purpose of the visit is to include the city in the company’s tourism line.
On Sunday (18), TCP received the visit of the cruise ship MSC Armonia, in Paranaguá. This is the first time the terminal receives a passenger ship. The mooring is part of a test call of the shipping company, which assesses the possibility of the Paraná port to regularly serve the MSC Cruises tourist line. The company’s goal is to explore new tourist opportunities in Brazil.
TCP’s operations planning manager, Felipe de França, participated in the ship’s plaque exchange ceremony – a famous ceremony in the cruise industry held when a ship arrives for the first time in a port.
França points out that, for the visit to take place, “TCP offered all the operational support in attracting the ship and in passenger logistics, always in partnership with the Administração dos Portos de Paranaguá e Antonina (Paraná Ports Administration).
Besides the logistical work, the terminal has a broad structure that makes it possible to meet an increasing demand for ships. Among the highlights is the expansion of the drafts (which is the distance between the ship’s keel and the water surface line). In 2022, TCP’s main channel will increase from 11 to 12.30 meters of draft. The alternative channel (surdinho) went from 11.50 to 12.30 meters and the docking berths (place where the ship docks) went from 12.3 to 13 meters.
“The expansion of the drafts at the terminal provides safer operational conditions for the entry and exit of ships at the terminal, because it was possible to remove all restrictions involving berthing and undocking of vessels,” reinforces França.
According to the president of Portos do Paraná, Luiz Fernando Garcia, the event was a historic moment. “Today the Port of Paranaguá received the largest passenger ship in history,” says Garcia.
Coming from Itajaí to Rio de Janeiro, the ship was docked for 12 hours so that the 2,100 guests and 600 crew members could go down and see the Paraná coast. Among the excursions offered by MSC were: Paranaguá City Tour; Paranaguá Bay; Fortaleza, Ilhas das Peças, and Baia dos Golfinhos; Ilha do Mel, Encantadas, and Farol das Conchas or Trem-Caiçara – Maria Fumaça.
About MSC Armonia
With 274m long and weighing more than 65 thousand tons, the cruise ship has 976 cabins. There are nine bars and lounges, five restaurants, three pools, and whirlpools. There are also a variety of stores, a theater with Broadway-style shows, a disco, a game room, miniature golf, a multi-sports court, a Balinese MSC Aurea SPA, a gym, a solarium, and a kids’ area.
