Vizag-Kakinada cruise service planned

Visakhapatnam is on top of our agenda in tourism promotion, says Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Principal Secretary, Tourism

The fun of having vacation in the blue waters of Bay of Bengal watching the panoramic beauty of Konaseema and Eastern Ghats from see-through cruise liner may become a reality with the State government deciding to introduce cruise service between Visakhapatnam and Kakinada. Though the plan was conceived earlier, it was shelved for a variety of reasons mainly for not getting suitable place for anchoring of the cruise liner. Sources told

The Hindu that now it might be explored to have a cruise terminal either at Bhimili or at Yarada, where 12-metre draft is required for docking the vessel. Earlier, it was proposed to use the place to be available after shifting of fishing harbour to Mulakuddu near Bhimili for developing a terminal. It was dropped following objections from boat and trawler operators for their relocation.

Presently, Shipping Corporation of India operates a 1100-nautical mile 56-hour passenger service from Visakhapatnam to Port Blair once a month through its agents A.V. Bhanoji Row, Garuda Pattabhiramayya & Sons. “There is heavy demand for going to Port Blair from the city,” Mr. Pattabhiramayya, a veteran in shipping industry, said.

AMET Shipping, which brought its cruise liner AMET Majesty from Chennai for a ‘night-at-sea’ exposure for select group of people in 2011, had experienced a lot of difficulty in first getting clearance to berth it and later attaching gangway (ladder) to it. The ship had docked at the Visakha Container Terminal.

“This time we want to introduce cruise service between Visakhapatnam and Kakinada and later in Krishnapatnam area. Visakhapatnam is on top of our agenda in tourism promotion,” said Neerabh Kumar Prasad, Principal Secretary, Tourism. Abundance of beaches, green-capped hillocks, Buddhist sites, and tribal locations would make Visakhapatnam one of the best tourist destinations in the country, he said.