Cordelia Notifies Schedule For Cruise Operation From Vizag To Chennai

Visakhapatnam: The first cruise service since the inauguration of Vizag International Cruise Terminal (VICT) will be launched by Cordelia from June 30.

The luxury cruise liner, which used to operate regular service between Goa and Sri Lanka notified the first sailing on June 30 from Chennai, arrival and departure from Visakhapatnam on July 2, arrival and departure from Pondicherry on July 4 and arrival in Chennai on the next day. As per the announcement, Cordellia will have three sailings between Visakhapatnam, Pondicherry and Chennai. Presently, Cordelia runs a four days five nights package trip between Mumbai-Lakshadweep-Mumbai.

Cordelia Cruises, India's premium cruise line, according to sources in Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA), which developed the terminal at a cost little over Rs.100 crore a year ago with funding from the Central Government, will regularise its service from the city depending on response. Cordellia, before completion of construction of VICT, had operated a service in the same route during the pandemic following disturbances in Sri Lanka with an overwhelming success.

Meanwhile, VPA is also holding talks with other cruise liners on the possibility of launching services to various destinations including Singapore, Colombo and other overseas destinations via Chennai. There is another proposal to ply a cruise service between the city and Andamans and Nicobar Islands.

Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) at present operates a passenger ship between Visakhapatnam and Port Blair mostly to transport workers from Odisha and North Andhra Pradesh seeking to take construction and other works in the Indian archipelago in the Bay of Bengal.