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The Marshall Islands-flagged ‘MS Nautica‘ ship with 501 passengers and 395 crew members called on the New Mangalore Port. This is the third foreign vessel to call the port during the current cruise season, the New Mangalore Port Authority said on Saturday. The ship, with an overall length of 180.5 metres and a carrying capacity of 30,277 tonne, arrived at the port at 8 am on Friday. The vessel had earlier called on Mumbai and Mormugao ports. The ship was docked along berth No. 04 at the port.
The tourists were received by Mangaluru‘s brass brand players and Yakshagana artistes. The visitors went through medical screening and also through multiple immigration and customs counters, before heading to vehicles to visit places in and around Mangaluru.
To promote tourism, conditional IGST exemption has been sanctioned for foreign-flagged, foreign-going vessels when they convert to coastal runs, subject to their reconversion to foreign-going status within six months. To further incentivise cruise liners, discounts ranging from 10 per cent to 30 per cent have been offered based on the volume of calls made by these vessels. Additionally, charges related to ousting have been eliminated.
The tourists visited places including the old St Aloysius chapel, Gokarnanatheshwara temple and Karkala Gomateshwara temple. They also spent time at the local market in the city. The ship departed at 5 pm to Cochin port, its next destination, a release said.
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