Cruise terminal in Chennai Port gears up for expansion for better passenger facilities

To improve access and passenger convenience, the cruise terminal at Chennai port will be expanded soon.

Plans are afoot to make embarkation and disembarkation smooth for tourists and to resolve the existing problems. According to officials of the Chennai Port Trust, the cruise terminal at the port was modernised and inaugurated nearly seven years ago but due to certain problems, only 60% of the area could be used. The aim of the expansion is to allow passengers to move quickly from the terminal’s entry point to the waiting area, and from the waiting area to the ship, an official said.

“Primarily, the waiting area will be expanded. The terminal’s current area is about 2,880 sq.m, and it will increase by another 1,500 sq.m after the expansion. There will be two separate routes for embarkation and disembarkation, so that passengers can enter and exit quickly,” an official said. Additional space for queuing, seating, and immigration will be provided.

Apart from the existing escalator on the terminal’s eastern side, a new one will be installed on the western side for disembarking passengers, the official added. There will also be spaces for duty-free shops and convenience stores. “We hope to begin the work by the end of March, and in six months, the work is likely to be completed,” another official said. On an average, Chennai port witnesses nearly 35-36 vessel calls and nearly 60,000 tourists per year, officials said. There were cruise vessels connecting Chennai with Trincomalee in Sri Lanka, Kochi, Mumbai, Singapore, and Visakhapatnam last year.

A cruise ship is expected to sail between Chennai and Trincomalee soon. Subsequently, a cruise ship from Yangon will visit the city port in March, before heading to Kochi. In May, a ship from Phuket will visit the city, and then it will depart for Colombo.