Cruise vessels call at Kochi port
Kochi ,Dec.13,2007
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.
World class 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.
