The COVID-19 pandemic has put brakes, albeit temporarily, on the construction of an international cruise terminal by the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) with funding from the Ministry of Tourism.
ADVERTISEMENT
Due to the lockdown, the Environment Impact Assessment (EIA), which should have been completed by now to finalise bids for the project to put Visakhapatnam in the global cruise tourism map, could not take off, VPT Chairman K. Rama Mohan Rao told The Hindu .
‘Outcome of studies favourable’
He said, once the situation eased, it would take three months to complete the EIA. The studies conducted by IIT-Chennai, the Central Water and Power Research Station in Pune and the Delhi-based Creative Group found the project quite promising.
ADVERTISEMENT
“In principle, we have finalised the project for nearly ₹77 crore, 50% of which will be funded by the Ministry of Tourism under the Central Sector Schemes,” Mr. Rao said.
The facility is planned partly on land and partly on the sea side of the existing channel berth to accommodate vessels of the capacity of 1,00,000 gross registered tonnage (GRT) with 300-metre overall length (LOA), 36 m beam and 8.5 m draft.
Salient features
Mr. Rao said the salient features of the cruise-cum-coastal cargo terminal include a berth of 180 m length and 37.6 m width with four moorings, two each on either side of the berth, to make total length of 330 m. The total area under construction will be 15,000 square metres. The terminal building will have 2,000 square metres with all amenities, adequate parking and catering, refreshment and resting facility, and excellent road connectivity. In view of COVOD-19 pandemic, adequate space for social distancing will be provided.
Bright prospects
Visakhapatnam district, which is known for panoramic locales such as Rushikonda Beach, Erra Matti Dibbalu, 17th century Dutch township of Bhimili, Araku Valley and the million-year-old Borra Caves, is viewed as having bright prospects to become an important destination for cruise tourism.
The VPT initially wants to develop a cruise terminal to facilitate dawn-to-dusk visit with a day-long halt for international tourists, and in the second phase convert it into a hub terminal.
About 100 European and American tourists, who had a day-long halt in the city during their visit in Silver Discoverer luxury cruise liner in 2019, were mesmerised by the picturesque landscape of Visakhapatnam during their interaction with the top VPT officials.