Barbados a first for Japan cruise ship

Barbados welcomed the Mitsui Ocean Fuji, Japan’s most luxurious all-suite cruise ship, with a traditional plaque exchange ceremony to mark its inaugural visit to the island last Tuesday.

The arrival of the Mitsui Ocean Fuji represented a special one-off stop on their world tour. The Port of Bridgetown is one of only two ports in the Caribbean where the vessel docked.

While not part of this year’s regular cruise schedule, this is a significant milestone reflecting Barbados’ status as a premier port in the Caribbean, as it highlights ongoing efforts by the island’s key tourism agencies to enhance the country’s reputation worldwide as a leading cruise destination.

Among the delegation welcoming Captain Kim Roger Karlsson, hotel general managers Keiichiro Kawano and Maarit Aartoaho, other crew and guests, were Ambassador of Japan to Barbados, Miyasaka Yusuke; First Secretary of the Embassy of Japan in Barbados, M Miura Shitau; chief product development officer of the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc. (BTMI), Marsha Alleyne; divisional manager of Business Development and Strategy at the Barbados Port Inc., Jane Brome, and Kevyn Yearwood, managing director of Platinum Port Agency.

Alleyne acknowledged that this cruise visit from Japan signifies the strength of destination Barbados in global cruise tourism.

“Although this will be a singular visit as part of the Mitsui’s 2025 world tour, it is still certainly indicative of the strides we have made in fostering relationships with new cruise partners as we seek to further develop the island’s cruise tourism.”

Alleyne added: “This underscores the continued positive performance of the cruise sector, and I applaud the combined efforts of the Ministry of Tourism and International Transport, the Barbados Port Inc. and the Barbados Tourism Marketing Inc.”

Alleyne’s enthusiasm was matched by Ambassador Yusuke, who was pleased to see so many of his countrymen in Barbados and extended an invitation for more Japanese to visit the island.

Emphasising the fact that this was the very first call for a Japanese luxury vessel at the Bridgetown Port, Brome said: “It is certainly an honour to welcome the Mitsui here. We are delighted to have the vessel in port as well as the Japanese visitors who can see what we as Barbados have to offer.”

The Mitsui Ocean Fuji was officially introduced in December 2024. As the second luxury ship in the Mitsui Ocean Cruises line, it is presently

on a global voyage to celebrate the launch, hosting a contingent of 280 Japanese passengers. The vessel set sail in January 2025, with its journey scheduled to conclude in another four weeks. Owned by The MOL Group and operated by The MOL Cruises, the Mitsui Ocean Fuji is the first of its kind operating from Japan, which offers seven different categories of cabins, and caters to travellers seeking a sophisticated cruising experience. The Mitsui Ocean Fuji has left Barbados for Curacao, the only other Caribbean destination on its cruise itinerary. (PR)

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