THE MS Monarch cruise ship, which is operated by Spain’s largest cruise line — Pullmantur Cruises — is expected to pull into berth two at the Kingston Wharves today.

The Ministry of Tourism, in a release yesterday, said the ship has a capacity of just over 2,700 passengers.

“The ship, originally scheduled to dock in Montego Bay, has been re-routed to Kingston due to unfavourable sea conditions,” the ministry said yesterday.

It is scheduled to arrive at 6:30 am and depart at 3:30 pm.

The Port Authority of Jamaica, the Ministry of Tourism through the Jamaica Tourist Board, and Jamaica Vacations, as well as a range of shipping and tourism players were yesterday working feverishly to accommodate the ship and its passengers, many of whom will be shuttled to areas of interest around Kingston, Ocho Rios and their environs.

“Any opportunity to get a cruise ship in Kingston is taken and won’t be taken for granted,” Delano Seiveright, senior advisor and strategist to Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett, is quoted as saying in the release.

Today is the second time in about one year that the MS Monarch will dock in Kingston. The release said the ship pulled into Kingston on December 6 last year, making it the first time in Jamaica’s history for mega ships to be docked in the main ports of Kingston, Falmouth, Montego Bay, and Ocho Rios at the same time.

The release said the news comes on the heels of the growth of boutique cruise tourism in Port Antonio, Portland, with two cruise ships visiting in the last three weeks and another two later this month.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness and Bartlett met with leaders of the global cruise industry in Miami, Florida, in December last year, pushing, among other priorities, Kingston as a cruise destination option, the ministry said yesterday.