Luxury cruise Seven Seas Explorer docks at NMPA

Panambur: Luxury cruise ship ‘Seven Seas Explorer’ arrived at New Mangalore Port from Qatar on Friday.

The cruise docked on Friday at 0700 Hrs alongside Berth No. 04 carrying 686 passengers and 552 crew. The ship has an overall length of 223.74 meters & carrying capacity of 55,254 Gross Tonnage with a draft of 7 meters. The vessel en route to Male (Maldives) came from the Port of Qatar to India and berthed at Mormugao Port previously.

This is the second cruise ship of the current season to dock at New Mangalore Port.

The passengers were given a warm welcome in traditional folklore such as yakshagana & traditional drums (chande). For the comfort and better experience of the cruise passengers, various arrangements were done such as; medical screening of passengers, immigration & customs counters for swift movement, 25 coaches of the bus including two shuttle buses for passengers visiting local markets and shops in & around Mangalore city, taxis, tourist vans, meditation centre by Department of AYUSH were kept ready. A cultural program was also organized for the tourists portraying local folklore & traditions of the region.

Dr. A. V. Ramana, Chairman, NMPA & MPA felicitated & greeted the master onboard ship as a gesture of welcoming to the Port. The passengers visited various tourist points in and around Mangalore such as; St. Aloysius, Kadri temple, Kudroli Temple, local market, cashew factory, Karkala Gomateshwara statue, 1000 Pillar Temple in Moodabidri, St Aloysius Chapel & Forum Fiza Mall. Souvenirs were given to the cruise passengers by the Port, as a fond memory of their visit to Mangalore while they were embarking back to their ship. The ship sailed at 1800HRS to its next destination to Male.