Work on 2nd cruise terminal in Marina South to begin in June

Work on 2nd cruise terminal in Marina South to begin in June

When completed by 2010, it will allow Singapore to handle 1.6 million cruise passengers by 2015.

By Lim Wei Chean

BY 2010, cruise passengers arriving in Singapore will be able to disembark with style in Marina South.

Singapore Tourism Board chief Lim Neo Chian on Tuesday announced at the Miami Seatrade Shipping Convention that construction on a new International Cruise Terminal will begin in June and it will be ready by 2010.

The new terminal will have no height restrictions, deeper waters and a large turning basin, which will allow the new generation of cruise ships that are up to twice the size of those currently stopping at the Singapore Cruise Terminal at HarbourFront to dock. The two terminals will be only a 10 to 15 minute drive away from each other.

Cruise operators here have bemoaned the fact that Singapore's current cruise terminal is too small for the longest time. Bigger cruise ships like Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of The Seas, the biggest ship to sail in Asia, was unable to dock at the HarbourFront terminal because it was too tall. There have also been issues with capacity crunch due to overcrowding at the existing terminal.

Tenders for engineering and architectural design proposals for the second cruise terminal have been called, and various submissions have come in. STB said the tenders will be awarded next month.

The new terminal, which is near Marina Bay, Singapore's new Downtown and financial services hub, will enable Singapore to ride on the growth of the global and Asian cruise industry and achieve its target of handling 1.6 million cruise passengers by 2015.

Last year, the Singapore Cruise Centre handled over 943,000 cruise passengers - a 10 per cent increase over the 857,000 passengers in 2006.

Growth of 44 per cent expectedThe Ocean Shipping Consultant has projected that Asia - China, South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asia - can expect a 44 per cent growth in cruise passengers, from 1.07 million in 2005 to 1.54 million by 2010. By 2015, the number of Asian cruise passengers is expected to hit 2.02 million - a jump of over 88 per cent over 2005.

RCI and Silversea Cruises also opened offices in Singapore last year.

Singapore will also be a port-of-call for a host of ships this year, including Cunard's Queen Victoria on her maiden world cruises, and ships from Princess Cruises, P&O, Oceania Cruises, Holland America Line and Crystal Cruises.

Recognising this growth potential, cruise operators are offering a wide range of itineries within Asia.

Leveraging on Singapore's strategic location between major international maritime routes and its excellent air connectivity to more than 90 destinations in 60 countries worldwide, a number of cruise companies have based themselves here to strengthen their Asian presence.

Several of the world's top cruise lines, such as Star Cruises, Royal Caribbean International, Costa Cruises, P&O Princess and Silversea Cruises have made Singapore the homeport or marquee port for their Asian ship deployments.

Mr Lim said with the completion of the new cruise terminal, 2020 is shaping up to be a banner year for Singapore, and for cruise in particular.

Along with the other mega attractions including the Singapore Flyer, the Formula One night race, the two integrated resorts, Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay, Singapore is on track to achieve its targets of 17 million visitor arrivals and S$30 million in tourism receipts by 2015.

Singapore Property - Buy, Sell, Rent, Invest
Jerry Hansin (+65)9027 5537
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