Mumbai to soon get its 1st international cruise terminal in MbPT

Mumbai: The Union minister for transport and shipping Nitin Gadkari and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday laid the foundation stone for an international cruise terminal at Ballard Pier, Mumbai.

The Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) will handle the modernization and expansion of the terminal. At an estimated cost of Rupees 197 crores. “The revamp is aimed to transform Mumbai into an international cruise destination. The new terminal will have all facilities that passengers get at the airports,”said official.

Close to 4 million passengers are expected to visit India in the coming years, and 3 million passengers are expected to take cruises from the Mumbai Port. Sanjay Bhatia, chairman, MbPT, said, “The project will be undertaken in two phases, wherein by the end of this year, we will be able to cater to two lakh passengers. Post the completion by the end of 2019, the new terminal will cater to more than seven lakh passengers, with facilities on a par with international standards.”

The facilities will include shopping areas, hotels and separate lounges for arrival and departure. Bhatia further said once the project is completed, the operation and maintenance will be carried out on a public-private partnership model. “We will issue tenders for it in a month,“ added Bhatia.

In 2016-17, the Mumbai Port got around 55 cruise ships carrying about 60,000 passengers. Terming the cruise policy as India’s economic growth engine, the government aims to increase the cruise liner traffic to India 10-fold to 700 vessels a year. Five ports in Mumbai, Goa, Mangalore, Chennai and Kochi which will be developed as cruise hubs.