MSC Poesia becomes the largest ship ever to sail the Amazon

The MSC Poesia became the first MSC Cruises ship to sail the Amazon, the longest and most watery river on the planet. It also became the largest vessel to have ever ventured such a journey.

MSC Poesia took to the Brazilian waterway as part of this year's circumnavigation and spent more than a week there. She first entered the estuary on Saturday 9 March, then offered her guests a three-day sightseeing cruise along the Amazon rainforest.

On Wednesday, March 13, it landed in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas, located on the Rio Negro River near its confluence with the Amazon. The main port and crossroads of the local extensive river system, it is home to more than 2,000,000 inhabitants and offers a deep inland location in South America.

After an overnight stop, she headed upriver to the state of Pará, where she landed on Saturday, March 16, in Alter do Chão, a picturesque village near the town of Santarém. This place is especially famous for its pristine white beaches, clear water and vibrant culture, which attract thousands of tourists every year.

During the night of Sunday 17 to Monday 18 March, MSC Poesia set sail from the estuary and headed for the nearby port of Belém, the capital and largest city of the state of Pará, which is the largest city in Amazonia next to Manaus. The ship's itinerary also included two technical stops (March 11 and 17) at the port of Fazendinha near Macapá, the capital of the Brazilian state of Amapá.

This is a significant milestone for MSC Cruises as it was also its first ever cruise in the northern Brazil region. After visiting Brazil, MSC Poesia sailed to the Caribbean, from where it will continue its round-the-world voyage along the coasts of North America, Greenland, Iceland and the British Isles back to Europe.

Zdroj: Cruise Industry News, Instagram, Youtube; Mapa: Riviera Tour