(12/9/2012)
Arriving from Australia, the cruise ship MV Celebrity Cruise visited the Balinese port of Benoa on Wednesday, November 11, 2012.
According to the manager of the Benoa Port, Sugiyono, the visit by the ship indicates the strong interest in Bali as a cruise destination.
“Many tourist traveling on cruise ships are choosing voyages with destinations in Asia. One of these destinations is Bali. Although, unfortunately, Indonesia does not yet possess a cruise terminal suitable for large ships. Thus, the MV Celebrity Cruise vesse went on tol berth in Singapore,” explained Sugiyono, quoted by Radar Bali.
Through the end of 2012, according to Sugiyono, some 36 ships are targeted to visit Bali’s port of Benoa.
To date some 32 ships have visited Benoa with four more expected before year’s end. Work is underway to complete repairs on the Benoa berth to permit deeper draft and longer vessels to come alongside.
Benoa’s port has now become a turn-around port, where cruise programs can either commence or end. To operate efficiently as a turn-around port, Benoa has also been upgraded to handle check-in and checkout of cruise passengers. Moreover, Rp. 600 million (US$62,500) in funding has been allocated to pay for dredging of the port basin and improving berths to allow longer vessels to come alongside.
Faster processing at the port has been introduced to maximize the time ashore for one-day cruise visits; thereby also maximizing tourist spends during shopping excursions ashore.
[Cruise Ship Handling by Bali Discovery]
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