Liner passengers coming home

2003-09-22 23:51

Ivor Price

Cape Town - The first of about 60 South Africans, who were stranded in Kusadasi, Turkey, for five days after the hull of the luxury passenger liner in which they were travelling was ripped, will return to South Africa on Tuesday.

Passengers aboard the Melody, a Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) vessel, has had to wait in the harbour in Kusadasi since Wednesday for repairs to be completed.

About 1 000 passengers from across the world were aboard the ship.

Deborah Uttaro, spokesperson for MSC, said on Monday the Melody ran into a pier in Kusadasi harbour during a storm on Wednesday morning. This caused a tear in the hull.

"The passengers were never in danger and all of them had access to the town while we were busy with repairs," she said.

However, one of the passengers, who did not want to be named, phoned a South African newspaper from Kusadasi and said they had no idea how long they would still be in the town. "Each day, more empty promises are made. One moment they say the ship has been repaired and we will depart, but we are still waiting."

He said that although passengers were allowed to explore the harbour and neighbouring areas, it was at their own cost and they were called back every now and again with the promise that the ship would sail soon.

Craig Bartholomew of Med Tours that represents the Melody in South Africa said on Monday the South Africans aboard the ship were mainly from George, Knysna, Johannesburg and Cape Town.

He could not confirm rumours that a former finance minister, Barend du Plessis, was one of the passengers.

Uttaro said all the holidaymakers, who each paid as much as R10 000 for the trip on the Melody, arrived safely in Venice on Monday morning.

"Most of them will now holiday in Europe and the first of the South Africans should arrive home on Tuesday," Bartholomew said.

- Die Burger