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Nautica, the eighth cruise vessel and last of the current season, arrived at New Mangalore Port at 8.30 am on May 22.
The Marshall Island flagged ship arrived in NMPA carrying 550 passengers and 400 crew members berthed alongside berth number-4 in the Port.
The ship was previously called at Cochin Port and will sail to Mormugao Port from Mangaluru. The overall length of the ship is 180.05 meters with a carrying capacity of 30,277 Gross Tonnage and has a draft of six meters. The cruise passengers were given a traditional welcome while disembarking from the ship.
Various arrangements were done for the pleasant experience of the cruise passengers such as: medical screening of passengers, multiple immigration and customs counters for swift movement, bus and taxis for passengers for touring various locations in and around Mangaluru city.
MoU signing between IWAI, SDCL, ATDC and DIWT will take place today in Guwahati. Developed under the Sagarmala Programme, the project aims to connect seven historic temples in Guwahati, including Kamakhya, Pandunath, Ashwaklanta, Doul Govinda, Umananda, Chakreshwar, and Auniati Satra. The circuit will enhance connectivity between the temples via waterways and also increase religious tourism prospects.
The cruise passengers availed benefits of a meditation centre set up by the Department of Ayush inside the cruise lounge. Clothes and handicraft outlets were also kept open for the tourists. Tourists clicked photos in front of the selfie point set up by the ministry of tourism. For entertaining the passengers, the port arranged bharatanatyam and cultural dance performances in the cruise lounge which was much appreciated by the tourists.
A LED screen was installed displaying visual information about the Port infrastructure and various tourist places around. For the first time an online feedback system was introduced.
The passengers visited various tourist destinations such as: Achal Cashew Factory, Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, St. Aloysius Chapel, local market, Pilikula artisan village, Thousand Pillars Basadi and Soans Farm. Souvenirs were given to the cruise passengers while they were embarking back to their ship.
The ship sailed out at 4.30 pm to its next destination. Post Covid pandemic the cruise season reopened in November 2023 after a halt of three years. As this was the beginning post pandemic, only eight ships called at New Mangalore Port with 3,602 passengers.
However, the port on an average receives 25 ships in a year with an average passenger inflow of 27,000 approximately.
For the coming cruise season already 13 ships have confirmed their visit and the numbers are expected to increase as the cruise tourism industry is seeing steadfast growth in passenger registrations after the pandemic.
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