Sapphire Princess makes port of call at Kochi, scripts history of sorts

The port of call by cruise ship Sapphire Princess, one of the largest luxury liners in the world, at the Cochin Port on Sunday is pretty special for more than one reason.  
Cruise ship Sapphire Princess | Express
Cruise ship Sapphire Princess | Express

KOCHI: The port of call by cruise ship Sapphire Princess, one of the largest luxury liners in the world, at the Cochin Port on Sunday is pretty special for more than one reason.  

Kochi was the only port of call  in India for Sapphire Princess which arrived here with around 2,500 persons from Colombo on board. Besides, the immigration procedures were completed in record time, which could well be the fastest for an Indian port till date. 

Lotus DMC, Ground Handling Agent for the ship, made all arrangements for the conducted tour of visitors from Sapphire Princess which was to start at 8 am. With 51 luxury buses lined up at the pier, this was a massive operation. 

The support and facilities provided by the Cochin Port Trust contributed immensely to the preparedness. 
The ship arrived at the port at 6.15 am and thanks to the efficiency and promptness shown by immigration and Customs officers, the ship was cleared in quick time, resulting in the guests showing up for conducted tour at 7am instead of the scheduled 8.15 am -  a little over an hour earlier.  Thanks to the readiness and alacrity of the ground handling agent, all 51 buses moved out of the port in a seamless and orderly manner. The guests returned very happy to the ship upon completion of the tour having enjoyed additional time to experience of God’s Own Country. 

“The ship’s operation is a classic example of how close cooperation and coordination among the various stakeholders, ie Cochin Port, Customs, Immigration and Ground Handling Agent  can bring an added smile on the face of ship guests that will go a long way in making Kochi an attractive cruise destination,” said Deepu C S, Lotus DMC director. 

The efficiency displayed by the immigration authorities on Sunday was commendable. This was arguably the fastest clearance ever seen in any Indian port, he said.  “The procedures adopted in India, especially at the first port of call have always been shown in  a poor light. We have improved /changed a lot over the last two years, thanks to the new policies adopted by the Centre and Sunday’s experience at the Cochin Port clearly shows we are among the best - truly international standard - in terms of efficiency of officers especially those tasked with immigration procedures,” said Deepu. 

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