Cruise to nowhere to set sail soon

Smooth waters ahead: A cruise ship docked at the Penang Swettenham Pier International Cruise terminal which has undergone an expansion. — CHAN BOON KAI/The Star

GEORGE TOWN: The cruise industry here is ready to set sail again with the much-awaited ‘cruise to nowhere’ expected to take off early next month.

Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB), the operator of Penang port, has made preparations with cruise operators to begin the service as soon as the go-ahead is given.

Its chief executive officer Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan said the National Security Council (NSC) is expected to give the green light soon.

“The standard operating procedure (SOP) has been submitted to the authorities and once it is approved, people will be able to enjoy the cruise, although at reduced capacity.

“We are ready. Now with the first phase of the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) expansion completed, we can take in the bigger liners,” he said in an interview.

Sasedharan said while the SOP does not emphasise allowing only the fully vaccinated to go on the cruise, PPSB is fully supportive of including that feature, similar to what is practised by the airline industry.“In fact, going on a cruise now is much safer than being in a cinema as reduced capacity means fewer passengers have a wider area to move around in without being in close contact,” he added.

Sasedharan said the spin-off for various industries once the cruise takes off would be enormous, with several supporting businesses expected to see a revival while others would record higher growth.

“Major cruise liners, such as Leisure World and Genting, are expected to have a total of 600 passengers daily (at reduced capacity), with 90% of them using taxi and e-hailing to get to the cruise (ship).

“The cruise industry has languished due to the fall in the tourism industry because of the pandemic but now, this would be a good opportunity for the people in this industry to revive their business,” he added.

Sasedharan said the food industry will see a boom in business with local traders and farmers increasing their supply of eggs, poultry, seafood and other products.

“This will also benefit other businesses such as laundry, garbage disposal and bunkering, which are mostly run by locals,” he added.

The government, he said, would also benefit with the 6% sales tax imposed on tickets as well as the business tax on local operators.

“With the ‘cruise to nowhere’, we are looking at job opportunities for at least 1,000 locals,” he added.

The cruise to nowhere was set to resume during the Hari Raya holidays in May but was then put on hold due to rising Covid-19 cases.

PPSB and Genting announced a voyage package, offering Langkawi itineraries during the festive holidays, but these did not take off.

Sasedharan said international cruise liners are set to sail in 2022, subject to approval by the relevant authorities.

“We have received bookings from big cruise liners for the Singapore-Penang-Phuket trips next year.”

Malaysia issued a blanket ban on cruise ships in March 2020 when the pandemic hit.