Why has a new Virgin luxury cruise ship extended its stay in a Costa del Sol bay?

Ignacio Lillo

Malaga

Monday, 21 April 2025, 17:02

Virgin Voyages shipping company's Brilliant Lady cruise ship has been a regular sight off the coast of the Costa del Sol since last October. The bay of Malaga was then chosen for the location where the ship would be anchored during the staff training. However, the ship's stay has been extended until the summer, despite the initial plan for it to leave for the US at the start of May.

The Brilliant Lady is scheduled to be inaugurated in New York in August, from where it will begin its routes in Miami. The shipping company has announced that the ship's first route to the Caribbean will begin on 5 September. However, the vessel still has to obtain the necessary certificates and complete its final inspections.

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Why is there a Virgin cruise ship anchored in a bay off the Costa del Sol?

This is the first time that a shipping company of this type has chosen the maritime environment of Malaga for the commissioning of one of its vessels. On several occasions, the vessel has entered and left the port, with the aim of testing various nautical manoeuvres.

The Bahamas-flagged Brilliant Lady is 278 metres long and 38 metres wide (beam), and has a gross tonnage of 110,000 tonnes. It can sail at a speed of 20 knots. The ship has capacity for 2,762 passengers, who will travel aboard 1,404 cabins. The vast majority have balconies and there are 78 suites. They will be accompanied by 1,150 crew members.

The accommodation and leisure facilities are spread over 17 decks (with 14 lifts). The Brilliant Lady is classified as a "top level luxury" cruise ship and will be for adults only. On board there will be 12 bars and lounges, 12 restaurants, a cinema, library, spa, casino, exhibition hall, theatre, games room and discotheque.

There will also be two indoor and one outdoor swimming pools; basketball court; jogging area and gymnasium, as well as internet access. Gastronomy will be one of its strong points, with two world-renowned American chefs: Brad Farmerie and Sohui Kim. This will be Virgin's fourth ship and its name pays tribute to "the intelligence of women".

Despite all of the cruise ship's high-class features, its long presence in the bay has provoked criticism from the residents of the city's eastern areas, especially those closest to the coast, such as La Malagueta and Pedregalejo. According to locals, the ship is continuously emitting large quantities of smoke, just a short distance from their homes.

In response, an expert engineer told SUR that, although it is true that the ship must keep the engines running while at anchor, they are working at a minimum, as it is practically unmanned and void of passengers.

Moreover, this cruise ship, which has only recently been built, stands out for its high technological development, with all the innovations available on the market to reduce its consumption and emissions. In fact, sources have said that the ship is the "most advanced in terms of energy, waste and exhaust gas cleaning", with autonomous systems for self-supply of electricity and minimum fuel consumption.

Therefore, the Brilliant Lady leaves an environmental impact that is much lower than any other ship at anchor, especially container ships, which also usually stay in the bay for days at a time. In fact, Malaga has very little impact from ships at anchor, compared to other large ports. The VesselFinder website, which allows the position of any ship on the map to be known, indicates that on 15 April there were 11 ships in the waters of Algeciras and another ten in Gibraltar. "Anchoring is a normal and habitual practice in the surroundings of other large port cities," such as Valencia, Barcelona and Huelva.