Mumbai Port on cruise control

Mumbai Port, India’s premier port is focusing on developing a super specialty offshore cruise terminal to cash in on the growing tourist boom. Once commissioned it could perhaps replace the two berths at Ballard Pier Extension in Indira Docks where cruise liners and passenger vessels drop anchor presently. Plans have been chalked out to develop this cruise terminal on the lines of the Marina Cruise Terminal at New York.

 

“Mumbai port had appointed Florida-based consultants Dermello Ajamali and Partners Inc, Florida, in consortium with Zebec Marine Consultants (IndiaThis $ 421.4 million project will be developed on a private public partnership model and will be funded by MbPT to the extent of $ 68.2 million. Work is expected to begin by end of this year and the terminal will be ready by 2012.”) Services Private Limited as consultants for the project,” stated Mohan Chandran, secretary of the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT). “

 

MbPT will undertake the dredging, construction of the berth structure and the access bridge (sea bridge). The terminal will be situated near Oyster Rock about a mile into the sea on the Eastern waterfront of Mumbai. It would be accessible through the Radio Club which is a little distance from the Hotel Taj Mahal Palace & Tower.The Navy wants to position the Naval museum - INS Vikrant (the only World War II-era British-built aircraft carrier to be preserved as a museum) in the vicinity of this cruise terminal.

The project includes the creation of a world class terminal that would offer facilities for berthing luxury liners, yachts and accommodate ferry terminal and shopping malls. The consultants are responsible for a geo-technical survey, port traffic projections, marine architecture, urban redevelopment, public place planning, waterfront development, convention centre, shopping malls, entertainment centre and structuring of the project.

Mumbai being the country’s financial and entertainment center is a popular stopover for cruise ships heading from Europe to Asia and vice versa. Nearly 25 cruise liners call at Mumbai port regularly. Besides Mumbai, cruises are arranged also from popular tourist destinations of Goa and Cochin which are the finest cruise destinations in India.

 

Cruise liner business is growing globally at the rate of 12 per cent per annum and is poised to grow at a higher rate in India…particularly in Mumbai due to various factors like economic growth in and around Mumbai, increase in international tourist arrivals, growing interest in Indian coastline by cruise ship operators and pleasure craft operators.