Vizag-Kakinada Sea Cruise to be Operational Soon

The word “sea link” has become synonymous with the Bandra-Worli bridge in Mumbai. Now, it is the AP Tourism Department’s turn to boast of a sea link – without the bridge!

As per the Department’s plans, the much-hyped Vizag-Kakinada sea cruise will be operational in the next few weeks. Officials are currently studying the viabilities of the project and a trial run was held about a week ago from Kakinada to Vizag. A 100-metre long passenger jetty which was inaugurated by Hon’ble AP Chief Minister Shri N. Chandrababu Naidu during the International Fleet Review in February this year.

The jetty at the lighthouse of Kakinada Port at Uppada will accommodate the cruise liners in Kakinada while the slipway passenger jetty of Visakhapatnam Port Trust near Fishing Harbour will anchor the vessel locally. A 40-seater glass-domed ship will be introduced and the fare of the cruise will be higher than the existing fare of both bus and train, the officials said. The sea route distance between Vizag and Kakinada is nearly 70 nautical miles or 130 kilometers.

According to Mr. R. Sreeramulu Naidu, Executive Director of APTDC for Visakhapatnam, the Vizag-Kakinada sea cruise will be one of the first such projects taken up by the corporation in the state. Till date, the corporation operates river cruises, he said, hoping that the cruise would attract tourists to the blue waters of Bay of Bengal and the panoramic beauty of Konaseema and Eastern Ghats.

Mr. Naidu also informed that apart from the Vizag-Kakinada sea cruise, the corporation also plans to run a passenger ship from Rushikonda beach to the deep sea as part of the beach tourism plan. “The projects will be operational soon,” Naidu added.

So here’s Yo! Vizag shouting out a big “Anchors away” to the Marine Tourism plans of the State.