Kochi to serve as stopover for yachts taking part in Volvo Ocean Race
Dec.5
Kochi
Kochi’s status on the world maritime map is set to get a boost, considering the slew of mega-events and projects lined up along the city’s coastline.
This will steeply increase the number of foreign tourists who will come here in the coming years. Proximity to the international shipping route has already made Kochi a preferred destination for yachts and cruise ships travelling to South-East Asia and Australia. The organisers of the world-famous Volvo Ocean Race have confirmed their stopover in Kochi in December 2008, making Kochi the sole city in India to play host to the 30 yachts participating in the event.
Marina
The country’s first marina is scheduled to come up on land owned by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation on Bolghatty Island and work is expected to begin by January, once the State Cabinet accords administrative sanction. The marina will have the facility to berth 50 yachts.
Thirty-two more cruise ships, including Queen Victoria, are expected to call at the port city this tourist season. Three have already come. This despite Kochi not having a full-fledged cruise terminal. The work for constructing the terminal at the northern end of the Ernakulam Wharf has already been awarded and the consultant’s report is awaited.
International terminal
The Vallarpadam Container Transhipment Terminal, single-point mooring facility of Kochi Refinery and the LNG terminal are in different stages of completion, adding a new dimension to Kochi’s maritime prospects. The city is one among the 11 ports of call of the Volvo Ocean Race, that is scheduled to sail out of Spain in October 2008. Though the letter of intent was signed in April, the confirmation came much later. The potential of Kochi can be gauged from the fact that the organisers decided on the Kochi anchorage, despite the port expressing its unwillingness to handover Rs.10 million that they demanded as stopover fee.
Boost for city
An official source of the Cochin Port Trust said that the yachts would be berthed at the BTP berth, at the extreme end of Wellingdon Island. “We will enter into a tie up with hotels to accommodate the high-spending guests, since their demand of a games village cannot be constructed within this period. Kerala Tourism and the Yachting Association of India are helping the Port in making arrangements. Kochi and the port stand to gain tremendously from the publicity generated by the event. Event managers will arrange for interaction between the yachters and members of the public,” he said.
Relatives and friends of the racers will fly down to Kochi to meet them. During the week-long Kochi anchorage, the boats will be taken out of the water, put through checks and an extensive maintenance and repair programme. During the nine-month journey, the race will sail across 39,000 nautical miles, covering Europe, Africa, India, S.E. Asia and China.
