Visakhapatnam-Chennai-Pondicherry Cordelia Cruise tourism project awaits clearance from Pondicherry government

Pending Visakhapatnam-Chennai-Pondicherry Cordelia Cruise project awaits clearance from Pondicherry government by February 28.

The Visakhapatnam-Chennai-Pondicherry Cordelia Cruise tourism project is pending as it has to get clearance from the Pondicherry government. A final decision is likely to be taken by February 28 to make the necessary arrangements. If this is delayed, the operators are planning to consider alternative venues.

This was revealed in an internal virtual meeting recently held by the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Department with Waterways Leisure Tourism Pvt. Ltd. (Cordelia Cruises) president and CEO Jurgen Bailom along with key officials from the Visakhapatnam Port Authority (VPA) and the Pondicherry government.

The meeting was convened to facilitate the visit of the Cordelia Cruise to the dedicated terminal at the VPA port, here, probably on July 2 (2025), and to resolve the pending issues with the Pondicherry administration.

Speaking to The Hindu on Tuesday (February 25), VPA Secretary T. Venugopal, who attended the meeting, said that the representatives of the Pondicherry government have assured that all the permissions will be granted by February 28.

“From our VPA side, everything is cleared. We are eagerly waiting to welcome the cruise between Pondicherry and Visakhapatnam via Chennai. The scheduled sailing dates have also been announced. The first one will start on July 2. The scheduled dates are July 9 and 16. A passenger ticket price will be around ₹18,000. Vizag Port has made all the necessary preparations, the terminal is fully equipped to receive cruise ships and facilitate the necessary permissions and clearances from the authorities,” Mr. Venugopal said.

He said that the Union Ministry of Ports & Waterways is very optimistic about developing port-based tourism projects, and the cruise terminal at Vizag Port is the largest and only dedicated terminal in the country so far. Besides, ports in Goa and Mumbai are also developing cruise terminals which are at various stages of construction.

Mr. Venugopal said that cruise operators, including Jurgen Bailom, have raised some suggestions with the governments, including the A.P. Government, regarding development of better local tourist destinations that attract national and international tourists with proper facilities for one or two-day excursions of cruise passengers. He said that these facilities are very important in cruise tourism.