A Royal Caribbean cruise is seen at a port in Dalian, Liaoning province, China, July 20, 2017. Picture taken July 20, 2017. REUTERS/Stringer ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY. CHINA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN CHINA.
GEORGE TOWN: A global cruise line giant listed on the New York Stock Exchange is investing in the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal here to lengthen the pier from the present 400m to 688m.
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCC) - a rival of Genting Hong Kong which operates Star Cruises - is taking a 40% stake in a joint-venture company to be formed with Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) in an expansion project that will cost US$35mil (RM155.5mil).
After making the pier that long, two mega cruise liners carrying more than 4,900 passengers each will be able to simultaneously dock at any one time.
Most cruise ships calling on Penang now carry between 1,000 and 3,000 passengers as the present pier could only hold up to two such ships.
The expansion includes space for tour buses to wait and pick up the throngs of ship passengers taking packaged tours and better accessibility for senior citizens and the physically challenged.
While RCC may be an unfamiliar name in Malaysia, Penangites might recognise the company’s cruise ships, Ovation of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas. They made 15 calls to Penang last year and are making 38 calls this year.
Ovation, a gargantuan vessel 18 decks high and beautified with an art collection worth about RM20mil, dropped by Penang last June on her maiden voyage to her home port in China when she was only about seven weeks old. She carried 4,091 passengers and had a crew of 1,647 then.
Through a total of six brands that RCC wholly or jointly owns, it operates a total of 49 cruise ships in the world with an additional 13 on order.
In a joint statement on Friday, RCC and PPSB said that the development would be a focal part of the creation of a “Straits and Borneo Cruise Riviera” under the Malaysian Economic Transformation Programme launched in 2010.
“This planned development has received unyielding support from both the state and federal governments, and associated government agencies,” they stated.
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
