DENPASAR – Pelindo III’s Benoa Port ensured the activity of cruise vessels visiting Bali in 2015 will increase after official agendas were delivered by tour operators to the port’s authority.
The number of cruise vessels berthed in Benoa Port will be 60 units, more than this year’s number of 49 units.
Benoa Port-Chapter Pelindo III General Manager, Ali Sodikin, said the data is only temporary and will be added since usually, cruise vessel tour operator will inform the arrival next year.
“The schedule reported by cruise line to us is fixed. We can add more since tour operator will contact us again next year,” he explained on Wednesday (12/24).
Cruise vessels mostly come from Europe with the route of Europe-Singapore-Australia. The passenger capacity of cruise vessels which will arrive is averagely 1,000 people.
Benoa Port operator is optimistic the plan to extend cruise vessel berth from the current 150 meters to 250 meters in the next year will affect visit level.
With the addition, cruise vessel capacity at the port will be two units from the current one unit.
Moreover, port basin maintenance is still conducted periodically as the efforts to anticipate high sedimentation from the sludge brought from rivers. Currently, he continued, basin port rate around the port has been adjusted with the minimum standard of 12 meters.
Both efforts will ensure cruise vessel operators to visit Benoa Port. Ali asserted Pelindo III keeps increasing cruise vessel visit every year so it will bring multiplier effect to Bali’s economy. (Bisnis Indonesia)
