The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Cruise ships making a beeline for Kochi

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 13, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Cruise ships making a beeline for Kochi

Staff Reporter

40 cruise vessels to make port calls this season

KOCHI: Two cruise vessels — M.S. Deutschland and M.S. Sliver Whisper — called at the Kochi Port on Wednesday giving the new cruise season a big start.

M.S. Deutschland called at Kochi from Mumbai with about 300 passengers and 260 crew members and berthed at 7 a.m. The vessel left for Dubai at 2 p.m.

M.S. Silver Whisper arrived from Goa with 350 passengers and a 300-member crew. The vessel berthed at 7 a.m. and sailed off to Colombo at 1 p.m.

The arrival of the two vessels on Wednesday takes the total number of cruise vessels to call at Kochi this year to 20.

A spokesman for the Cochin Port Trust said that the Port expected another 20 cruise vessels to call at the Port this season, taking the total number to 40; two more than last year.

Cruise vessel facility

The new cruise season has started with a bang for the Kochi Port that is on the verge of setting up a world-class facility for handling cruise vessels.

The Port is expecting three more cruise vessels in the coming days. These are: M.V. Le Ponant, expected to call at Kochi on Thursday; M.V. Nautica, scheduled to arrive on Sunday, and M.V. Ocean Odyssey, expected on December 20.

Queen Victoria is among the vessels scheduled to call at Kochi this season.

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