Over the weekend, the 126-meter-long cruise ship MV SH Diana berthed at the port in Lamu.
The ship, which Captain Ali Abdile commanded on behalf of the Kenya Ports Authority, carried 165 eager visitors and crew members who wanted to explore the island community.
Residents of Lamu said that the cruise ship’s presence was a big deal because it had been ten years since a ship of its type had visited the island.
Traveling from Jeddah to Djibouti, Zanzibar, and lastly, Lamu, the MV SH Diana had the potential to revolutionize the travel industry in this unspoiled location.
The tourists braved the rain to get to the island as tenda boats took them away from the ship despite the bad weather.
At a ceremony marking the ship’s maiden call, Engineer Vincent Sidai, General Manager of Lamu Port, gave the ship’s master a certificate as a token of appreciation for picking Lamu as their destination.
Governor Issa Timamy of Lamu expressed his sincere gratitude to the visitors for selecting the island.
The Lamu Tour Guide Association’s Chairman, Ziwa Abdalla, expressed his joy, saying that the arrival of the MV SH Diana was a huge help to the industry.
He pointed out that the community would benefit from such infrequent visits.
“Our lives will change if we have ten of these in a year. We need more of this,” stated Abdalla.
There was a newfound hope and optimism for the future of tourism on the island when the MV SH Diana sailed away from Lamu.
