MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

German cruise sails along the Paraná river to the city of Rosario

German cruise vessel ‘Deutschland’

The German cruise vessel ‘Deutschland’ docked Monday at the port of Rosario on the mighty Paraná River which is also the hub for Argentina’s grains and oilseeds basin.

She is carrying 312 passengers (mostly Germans, Swiss and Austrians) and 242 crewmembers and arrived from Montevideo. Rosario is 300 kilometres north of Buenos Aires.

“The Rosario port terminal is the only one in the area allowed to receive international flagged vessels with passengers“, said Federico Naviera from the local port authority. He added that for the arrival of cruise vessels, Rosario must comply with strict regulations from the International Maritime Organization and based on this with the authorization from the fluvial Coast Guard “we were able to receive the cruise vessel”

With a gross tonnage of 22.400, 175 metres long, 23 metres beam and seven decks the vessel launched in 1998 is renowned for its art deco decoration made famous by such classic ocean liners such as SS Ile de Frnace and SS Normandie.

‘Deutschland’ is scheduled to leave early Tuesday giving tourists ample time to visit the 1.2 million population city which exports 80% of Argentina’s grains and oilseeds, has a huge monument next to the Paraná waterway dedicated to the Argentine flag, where it was first flown, and in recent times has been the birth place of such international icons as Ernesto Che Guervara and Lionel Messi.

At the beginning of last century and until the thirties Rosario was also known as the Chicago of Argentina.

Rosario also has great green spaces, ample sports facilities including golf links and is just minutes away from some of the most productive agriculture soil in the world.

“Rosario is gradually becoming a tourism centre and is being acknowledged as such”, said Naviero who revealed that several other cruise vessels have been making inquires about a leg to the fluvial heartland of South America, the Parana and Uruguay rivers basin.

“If we treat them as they should, and they leave satisfied a cruise vessel traffic in the near future up the Paraná could become a reality”, said Naviero.