Ships ahoy! Second luxury liner to sail from Jeddah
Scenic Eclipse is equipped with a helicopter and a 7-person submarine that can dive to 300 meters
A second luxury liner will operate from Jeddah Port in Saudi Arabia for this year’s holiday cruise season.
The Scenic Eclipse, which can carry up to 228 passengers, will sail from Jeddah between July 17 and Dec. 9, with destinations including Yanbu in Saudi Arabia, Aqaba in Jordan and Port Ghalib Marina in Egypt, which is close to the historical sites of Luxor.
Arab News reported this week that the Swiss-operated MSC Cruises would operate one of its ships, the MSC Bellissima, from Jeddah from the end of July until late October. For the Scenic Eclipse, the heat of the Red Sea will represent a change of climate.
The liner, launched in 2019, is specially fitted out for the polar regions, where she spends much of the year. The 17,545-ton, 166-meter-long ship is equipped with two EC130 helicopters and a seven-person submarine that can dive to 300 meters.
“Saudi Arabia will be one of the hottest tourist destinations in coming years, and we’re very glad our guests will get to experience it in six-star comfort on board Scenic Eclipse,” said Glen Moroney, founder and chairman of the UKbased Scenic Group.
“As a business, we continue to raise the bar in ultra-luxury cruising, and we are confident that this new season will mark the start of a long relationship with the destination.” Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund launched Cruise Saudi in January to develop a cruise industry in the Kingdom and create more than 50,000 jobs in the tourism industry by 2035.