KOCHI: Kochi Port is bustling with activity due to a steady arrival of cruise liners from all over the world. Since the beginning of the year, around 16 cruise liners have docked at Kochi Port with March contributing the most to the total figure.
According to Port authorities, since the beginning of March, five cruise liners have already visited the port.
“On Wednesday, two cruise liners Queen Mary 2 and Costa neoRiviera docked at BTB. Another six cruise liners will arrive at the port by the end of the month,” said the authorities. The cruise liners will arrive on March 22, 27, 28, 29 and 31. “Two ships will call at the port on March 29,” said a port officer.
“The cruise season is charted from April to March. So, from April 2018 to March 2019, around 44 ships have called at Kochi Port. Once the remaining six visit, the total number will go up to 50,” he said. It is expected April too will be a busy month with respect to cruise liner dockings. According to him, of the two ships that came calling at the port on Wednesday, Queen Mary 2 is the largest ocean liner ever built. The Queen Mary 2 is carrying 2,483 passengers and 1,255 crew members, he said.
“The ship came from Chennai and will be going to Colombo. It is termed the largest ocean liner ever built,” he said. Meanwhile, Costa neoRiviera came in from New Mangalore and will be going to the Maldives.
“The ship has 1,110 passengers and 560 crew,” he said. According to him, Queen Mary 2, which arrived at 5:50 am departed by 6 pm after the tourists were taken for a tour of the city.
Meanwhile, making the arrival of the tourists a comfortable one, Aster Medcity arranged medical support for the passengers. The fully-equipped bike ambulance service of the hospital provided medical support round-the-clock to tourists throughout their stay.
The bike ambulance team also accompanied the tourists during their visit to the city.