With an objective to include Chennai in the global cruise ship map, the Chennai Port Trust (CPT) has embarked on a major expansion plan to construct an aerobridge similar to an airport, where passengers can board the ship directly without the need to walk on the wharf. The port has also decided to install scanning machines to do away security threat to luxury liners.
“We have also planned to air-condition the entire cruise terminal and put escalator and aerobridge to facilitate passengers. Further, we will also get passport reading machines, which will facilitate the immigrations officials and quicken the whole process,” CPT chairman Atulya Misra told Deccan Chronicle.
He added that the port would also have other facilities like fire fighting services, water and maintenance services in place. “We will also provide bunkering facilities in the jetty, once the barge terminal gets commissioned,” he added. The basic facilities for disembarking passengers like restaurant, coffee shop, duty-free shops as present inside an airport, will also be set up on a temporary basis when the cruise ship reaches the city, he said.
The total cost for the expansion of the cruise terminal has been estimated at RS221.4 million. “We have got Rs85 million from the Central government for development of cruise tourism facilitation centre, as the ministry of tourism has identified Chennai port as one of the ports for development of cruise tourism in India. We will source the remaining money by developing the terminal in a PPP model,” Misra added.
Capt C. Sathyanarayana, general manager, GAC Shipping, which in February this year handled a cruise ship PACIFIC VENUS at Chennai port told Deccan Chronicle that the cruise terminal had wonderful infrastructure.
“If the port is able to tie up with local tour operators and market the terminal cruise tourism will prosper in Chennai,” he added. The city port received five cruise ships in 2012-13.