Cruise terminal in Chennai Port gears up for expansion for better passenger facilities

Chennai Port's cruise terminal expansion aims to enhance passenger experience with more space and convenience amenities.

To improve access and passenger convenience, the cruise terminal at Chennai Port is all set to get expanded soon.

Expansion plans are in the offing to make embarkation and disembarkation as smooth as possible for tourists and to resolve the existing issues.

According to officials of Chennai Port Trust (ChPT), the cruise terminal at the port was modernised and inaugurated nearly seven years ago but due to a certain issues, only 60% of the area could be used and the remaining 40% remained unexploited.

The idea is to allow passengers to move quickly from the entry point to the waiting area of the terminal and from the waiting area to the ship, an official said.

“Primarily, the waiting area is going to be expanded. While the existing terminal area is about 2,880 sq. metres, it will increase by another 1,500 sq. metres after expansion. There will be two separate routes, one for embarkation and another for disembarkation so that passengers can quickly enter and exit,” an official said.

Additional space for queuing, seating and immigration are going to be added. Apart from an existing escalator on the eastern side, a new one will be installed in the western side of the terminal for disembarking passengers, he added.

There will be space for duty-free shops and convenience stores too.