COVID-19: Mangaluru port bars cruise vessels till March-end

Bengaluru, March 12 The New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT) has barred all cruise vessels from entering the port till March-end, in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, an official said on Thursday.

"Until the end of March, no cruise ship is allowed into Mangaluru port as per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Shipping," said the port's traffic manager.

He said six cruise ships will be denied entry following the shipping ministry's directive.

"There is no cruiseliner at berth now. One ship was denied entry and another we have cancelled. We are not allowing four more till March 31," he said.

Before this development, seven cruiseliners were scheduled to call on Mangaluru port between March 24 and May 13.

According to the traffic manager, the cruiseliners generally make 12-hour port calls at Mangaluru, halting in the morning and sailing away in the evening, enabling the tourists to visit proximate tourist attractions and shopping destinations.

Meanwhile, the district administration has made arrangements at the port to prevent coronavirus from spreading.

"With the help of the district health officer and others, we are scanning the people and allowing inside," said the port traffic manager.

Equipped with 9.5 m draft at cruise berth with the capacity to accommodate vessels up to 331 m long and e-visa clearance on arrival, Mangaluru Port is the port of call for seven cruiseliners.

( With inputs from IANS )