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Indian travellers are all set to enjoy the thrills of international class cruising on the Indian Ocean. Made possible by Louis Cruises India, a subsidiary of Louis Cruises, its luxury liner MV Aquamarine now has Kochi as its first home port in India.
The luxury liner was officially launched on November 30 by Union Minister for Tourism, Kumari Selja in Kochi. MV Aquamarine is the first cruise liner to offer cruises targeted at the Indian tourism market. In her speech, the minister said that there was tremendous scope for cruise tourism in the country, given India's strong domestic tourism sector and growing middle class and of course, the country's 7,517 km long coastline. Present during the launch was Director of Kerala Tourism, Mr. M. Sivasankar, who said that exotic voyages from Kochi, is a unique product for the Indian market, which is craving for new and exciting experiences. He added that the new development will further boost Kochi's position as a cruise hub and destination in the area. Mr. Oneil Khosa, Managing Director of Louis Cruises India, and Mr. Louis Loizou, Louis Group Executive Director and Deputy CEO of Louis Cruises were also present during the launch of MV Aquamarine.
MV Aquamarine has a capacity to carry 1,200 passengers and will offer itineraries on the Kochi-Maldives-Kochi and the Kochi-Colombo-Kochi routes, in addition to a one-night high sea-sailing itinerary. MV Aquamarine will homeport in Kochi from 2nd December 2009 to 25th April 2010 and will operate cruise itineraries 3 times a week from Kochi. The vessel had its debut voyage from December 1 from Kochi to Maldives.
MV Aquamarine has 525 spacious state rooms and suites, positioned above sea level and passengers would enjoy her world class facilities including several restaurants, a swimming pool, fitness center, massage/sauna facilities, a casino and duty free shopping. The vessel has also been modified to include a cricket pitch-giving Indian travellers a new experience of playing cricket on the high seas. The seven deck ship has a 531 ft length, 83 ft beam and has four elevators.
