City to become cruise hub with company set to operate more ships

Chennai is each acceptable to go a cruise hub arsenic much ships volition link assorted destinations successful the adjacent fewer years, Jurgen Bailom, president and CEO, Mumbai-based Waterways Leisure Tourism Limited, said connected Wednesday.

Speaking to the media connected the sidelines of the India Maritime Week 2025, helium said, Waterways Leisure Tourism Limited, which operates Cordelia Cruises, volition marque Chennai its location larboard (from wherever the vessel departs, makes a voyage and returns).

“We are going to beryllium staying each twelvemonth astir successful Chennai... We volition adhd much ships successful the adjacent 3-5 years,” helium said. Each vessel tin accommodate 2,500 passengers.

From Chennai, determination is 1 vessel of Cordelia Cruises that makes trips for 4 months a year. “In the adjacent 5 years, we volition grip 1.5 to 2 cardinal passengers a year. Chennai volition go the gateway to Malaysia, Thailand, Andaman, Puri, Kolkata, Puducherry and Sri Lanka,” helium added.

He said that Chennai would beryllium the cruise hub. “At present, we are location porting successful Mumbai. [Apart from Chennai], we volition adhd Visakhapatnam and Goa arsenic location ports,” helium said.

While addressing a league connected ‘Tamil Nadu Ports: Gateway to Growth, Enabling Trade, Tourism & Industrial Corridors’, Minister for Public Works, Highways and Minor Ports E.V. Velu said the State has go a cardinal hub for export-import trade, sportfishing harbours, seafood processing, shipbuilding and repair, recycling industries, and maritime tourism and planetary cruise rider transport. “Tamil Nadu volition proceed to beryllium a cardinal spouse and a exemplary authorities successful India’s expansive ngo to alteration the federation into a planetary maritime hub,” helium said.

Sunil Paliwal, chairman, Indian Ports Association, Chennai Port Authority, and Kamarajar Port Limited, invited investors to Tamil Nadu. “It is the lone State that has 3 large ports: Kamarajar Port, Chennai Port and V.O. Chidambaranar Port.”