Mormugao port welcomes season’s 1st int’l cruise ship

Panaji: Mormugao Port Authority (MPA) played host to the cruise tourism season’s first international vessel M V Vasco da Gama on Saturday. The vessel, which carried 590 passengers and 416 crew onboard, arrived at 11am with about 500 passengers taking sightseeing tours through Goa. The cruise ship, operated by German cruise line Nicko Cruises, departed the same day at 11.30pm for Kochi.

Goa was the ship’s latest stop after departing from Mumbai. “Around 500 passengers disembarked for sightseeing. During their time in Goa, passengers explored various tourist attractions across the state, adding to the local tourism economy,” said MPA officials.

Four passengers signed off from the cruise, while four new passengers boarded the vessel at Mormugao.

On the same day, the port also welcomed the domestic cruise vessel M V Empress, which brought approximately 1,300 passengers to Goa. The ship, owned by Cordelia Cruises, arrived at 11am and set sail at 8pm.

The dual arrivals highlight Mormugao Port’s importance as a key cruise destination on India’s western coast, attracting both domestic and international visitors. While the cruise vessels were handled at the port’s breakwater berths, MPA hopes that by next year, the international cruise terminal will be ready to handle arrivals and departures.

The MPA said Cordelia Cruises will operate 30 cruise trips to Mormugao this season, while 14 international cruise vessels are expected to call at Goa.

The ongoing conflict in the Red Sea, where Houthi have been attacking shipping vessels, has put a dampener on the cruise arrivals. Many of the European cruise liners used to transit through the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, but the threats from Houthi rebels and piracy have given cruise liners a cause for worry.

Last year, MPA saw an increase in the number of cruise vessels with around 1.2 lakh passengers visiting the state aboard cruise liners. Of these, around 90,000 were domestic passengers and the rest were international tourists.

Every week, two domestic cruise vessels are slated to arrive at the Mormugao port.