Cruise ship in deep water as 'Cape Doctor' strikes

The "Cape Doctor" - the notorious southeaster which earned Cape Town the moniker Cape of Storms - showed what a powerful force of nature it is when it prevented the 93,000-ton  cruise ship MSC Musica from docking on Thursday.

The vessel sailed past the cruise terminal at the V&A Waterfront, made a U-turn and  returned to the relative safety of the open ocean.

At midday, Cape Town traffic services spokesperson Richard Coleman said the weakening wind may result in the ship being able to enter port on Thursday night or Friday morning.

The 16-deck ship weighs nearly 93,000 tons and carries about 3,200 passengers and 1,000 staff, according to the MSC Cruises website. It is  nearly 60m high and 300m long.

The ship has been based in Durban since October for the duration of the southern African summer but is taking regular cruises from Cape Town during January.