The cruise liner terminal being jointly built by the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) and Union Ministry of Tourism is nearing completion and is likely to be inaugurated in a couple of weeks’ time, with the tentative date being August 21. The terminal is likely to be inaugurated in the presence of Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Union Minister of Tourism G. Kishan Reddy.
The terminal that is coming up at a cost of ₹96 crore, is expected to propel Visakhapatnam to the international tourism map and bring foreign tourists to the City of Destiny.
“We are already in talks with famed cruise liners such as the Mediterranean and Caribbean and this should bring Andhra Pradesh and Visakhapatnam to the international tourism circuit,” said chairman of VPA M. Angamuthu.
“There is immense potential in the hinterland of Visakhapatnam, as it has the sea, verdant hills, ancient temples and Buddhist sites,” he said.
The cost of the project is being equally shared by VPA and the Ministry of Tourism and the facility that is being provided is on par with the best, he added.
An existing dock has been extended and reinforced and refurbished. The berth is around 180 metres long with four mooring dolphins.
The depth is around 9.5 metres and the dock can accommodate cruise liner vessels of the size and capacity of around 1 lakh GRT (Gross Register Tonnage).
The total size is around 12,660 sq m, with the state-of-the-art terminal building occupying a built-up area of around 4,580 sq mt.
According to A.C. Vikash, superintending engineer (Civil) of VPA, the ground floor of the terminal building has a built-up area of around 3,074 sq mt and the first floor is about 1,383 sq mt.
The building has separate entries for arrivals and departures, akin to airports, and will have facilities such as cafeterias, spacious lounges and duty-free shopping stores.
There will be a separate space for Customs and Immigration officials and security will be handled by the CISF.
Shaped like a ship, the well-lit building will have all modern facilities, including infrared temperature scanners, elevators and escalators, apart from ample parking space to accommodate at least seven buses, about 70 cars and 40 two-wheelers.
The terminal can handle about 2,000 passengers at any time.
Though VPA has already handled about 15 voyages between Visakhapatnam-Puducherry-Chennai in 2022 and about 8,645 passengers had embarked and 13,814 passengers had disembarked, the authorities concerned are keeping their fingers crossed on the success of the cruise terminal.
A lot depends on the tourism policy of the State Government and their proactive approach in highlighting the tourism circuits in the hinterland. As of now, the State Government does not allow liquor and casinos onboard cruise liners, said the owner of a major tour operating company.
Coming to the business model, VPA will charge 6 USD from each passenger and the cruise companies have to pay 0.085 USD per GRT.
