The Red Sea crisis has cast a shadow on the ensuing cruise season of Cochin Port beginning September in the wake of the cancellation of at least 10 passenger ships in the just concluded season ending April.
A senior official in a shipping agency handling cruise vessels told businessline that already two cruise ships from Europe, which are expected to call in March 2025, have indicated their decision to call off their trip and there might be more in the upcoming season which will conclude in May next year.
He pointed out that five-six vessels handled by his agency had cancelled their trip to Cochin between January and June this year. The first ship for the current cruise season is expected to call on November 14.
In the 2023 season, 34 cruise vessels had called the port, witnessing a tourist arrival of 22,872. At the same time, the port had received 50+ cruise vessels during pre-Covid times. There were eight maiden cruise calls in the just-concluded season which include Celebrity Edge, Millennium Bolette, Riviera, Le Jacques Cartier, Seven Seas Mariner etc. Besides, coastal cruises such as Cordelia, Costa Cruises, Aida Cruises had calls to Kochi, Lakshadweep etc.
The port will also lose revenue worth ₹15-20 lakh per ship by way of handling charges for each ship, he said.
Johny Abraham, managing director of Intersight Tours and Travels, said the cancellation of cruise calls will have a significant impact on the business of various allied sectors like sightseeing, taxi services, airlines, hotels/restaurants, handicraft makers etc. The average spending of a foreign tourist in Kochi was between $100-250 and this business opportunity will be hit, once a cruise ship cancels a Kochi visit. People working in allied sectors depend a lot on the season in Kochi, which is one of the major cruise destinations in South India.
Capt Tom Joseph of Arctic Crew Management Pvt Ltd said the normal routes followed by cruise ships are from the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, Red Sea, Gulf of Aden to Dubai and thence on to India (Mumbai/ Goa/Mangalore/ Cochin) and thence on to Phuket, Malaysian ports Singapore to China/Japan/Australia and then return along the same leg.
He pointed out that with the increased attack on merchant shipping in the Red Sea, a large number of cargo ships have opted to avoid the Suez / Red Sea / Gulf of Aden altogether and go around Africa. For cruise ships, such deviations lead to a huge impact on their itinerary planning, port calls and shorex operations.
With the present Red Sea crisis looming large, he said cruises to Indian ports are likely to suffer for a long term down time till the situation in Red Sea normalises. The present situation is likely to throw the planned cruises for 2024-25 into disarray.