The Mumbai International Cruise Terminal, the iconic sea cruise terminal coming up at BPX-Indira Dock, is expected to be commissioned by July 2024. The terminal will have a capacity of handling 200 ships and 1 million passengers per annum. Out of the total project cost of Rs 495 crore, Rs 303 crores will be incurred by Mumbai Port Authority and the remaining by private operators. This was informed by the Chairperson, Mumbai Port Authority, while addressing the media in Mumbai today, on the occasion of completion of 7 years of Sagarmala - Government of India’s flagship programme for port-led development of the nation.
The first-of-its-kind iconic sea cruise terminal in India with a total construction area of 4.15 lakh sq ft will have 22 Elevators, 10 Escalators and multi-storied car parking for 300 cars. Two cruise ships will be able to berth at a time on the dock.
Jalota said that domestic and international cruising is expected to be the main activity at Mumbai Port in the coming days. He said that the Mumbai Port Authority is laying a special focus on cruise tourism, passenger transportation and ship repair. The chairperson informed that a Cruise Conference is being planned to showcase India as a cruise destination, with an aim to establish ports like Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and ports on the east coast as cruise hubs of the nation.”
Kanhoji Angre Lighthouse Development
Speaking on Kanhoji Angre Lighthouse Development, Jalota said: “With the aim to enhance the scope of cruise tourism and to attract international passengers, we are developing Kanhoji Angre Island under the Lighthouse Tourism scheme. The work order for the project has been issued and it should be completed by March 2023. Mumbai Port has done developmental works worth Rs. 18 crores on the island, which attracts a lot of visitors.”
The island will have facilities for trekking, sit-outs, viewing galleries, interesting pergolas and resting benches, out- door restaurants, performances, overnight camping, etc. The scheduled date of commercial operation will be March, 2023, informed the Chairperson.
Mallet Bunder Expansion
The Chairperson said that the Mallet Bundar harbour normally handles more than 700 trawlers per day and around 900 trawlers on peak days. “This may soon increase to 1,300. We are planning to develop a fishing harbour to decrease the congestion under the Sagarmala Project. We are planning to start this work in 2022 and we aim to finish it in two years.” The project is fully funded by Sagarmala and Fisheries Dept, Govt. of India, to cater to the increased demand from fishermen community.
In addition to these, a third chemical berth is being constructed at Pirpau, funded by Sagarmala. The berth will make a capacity addition of 2 MMTPA, catering to handle chemicals including LPG.
