In several shuttle buses, some 1,800 people reached the cruise terminal at Chennai Port on June 6. They were set to board a cruise ship to Sri Lanka. Many were thrilled, but the excitement was short-lived. It took almost two hours for immigration procedures to get over. Once done, people had to lug their heavy baggage and climb a steep ramp to the ship’s fifth floor as there was no on-ground boarding facility set up.
Senior citizens struggled. With seven Chennai-Sri Lanka international cruise trips scheduled in the next two months and a lot more inter-cities cruises, the Chennai port is set to host thousands of passengers. However, the port is yet to upgrade its infrastructure to make cruise tourism work.
While smaller ports like Trincomalee Natural Harbour in Sri Lanka host eight international cruises during the season, Chennai, with a bigger port, has not had much luck. Giant international cruise liners skip the city. They dock in Kochi and then in Colombo and sail away. This is because the port does not have cruise-friendly facilities.
The port has to give priority to the cruise ships, make immigration and embarkation smoother and upgrade the port to international standards, experts say. Tourism secretary K Manivasan said the city needs an exclusive space for docking cruise ships. “Unlike other countries, the port shares its cargo berth to dock the cruises,” he said.
Officials felt without an exclusive berth, the port may not be conducive for bigger international cruise ships as they may have to wait in the outer anchorage. The port has a cruise terminal with 30 counters and one baggage conveyor.
Tourists who recently sailed on Cordelia Cruises to Hambantota port in Sri Lanka on June 5, faced long queues as there was only one conveyor belt to scan luggage of 1800 passengers.
Jurgen Bailom, CEO, Cordelia Cruises, said a pre-registration system that allows passengers to provide their information and complete immigration procedures before arriving at the port can expedite the process. “Online check-in can also reduce waiting time at the terminal,” he said.
An MoU has been signed between cruise companies and Chennai Port to create a cruise circuit. Chennai Port Trust chairman Sunil Paliwal said there is about 25% of unutilised area in the port which would be used for immigration. “We can house 2,500 passengers at once. We have 26 berths to dock ships, and we can berth any ship on arrival without waiting time. We are coordinating with the tourism department to create tourist packages for tourists,” he said.
