Symphony to get $1-m refit

THE MSC Symphony, South Africa's own cruise ship, sailed for Italy recently where she will undergo a complete refit and refurbishment, prior to spending the European summer cruising in the Aegean.
Captain Salvatore Sarno, chairman of MSC in South Africa, told FTW that the Symphony was due to return to Durban in November. We are spending about US$1 million on her refurbishment, most of which will go into accommodation on the lower decks, he said. He explained that the ship has new engines and complies fully with SOLAS requirements,
These stories doing the rounds about the Symphony not returning are simply not true. We have received a number of offers to purchase the vessel from other cruise operators but our asking price is always too high.
The Symphony will be back in South African waters in November and already the Millennium Cruise is fully booked.
By Terry Hutson