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GEORGE TOWN – The sea cruise industry business is back in Malaysia with the launch of the MS Star Pisces ship’s operations from the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal (SPCT) here earlier this month.
It marks the first time a cruise liner has set sail from a local port in close to two years since the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged the country and region.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Wee Ka Siong flew in for the occasion to mark the reactivation of the cruise business.
The event was hailed as a boost for the local tourism industry, as well as being a bright revenue earner for Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) as the port operator and cruise operator Genting Cruise Lines.
Although the passenger volume is not expected to return to pre-pandemic levels for now, the launch of the cruise and the determination of Penang Port to revive the once flagging segment of its operations is laudable.
Penang is set to retain its top spot as a cruise destination in the country with the anticipated arrival of 660,318 passengers in 995 vessels next year.
The state is expected to grab a major share of the sector as SPCT is already scheduled to see 58 cruise trips from the port, accommodating about 47,000 passengers.
Due to Covid-19, each cruise trip will operate at 50% passenger capacity.
The numbers, said Wee, will definitely be lower compared to the one million passengers a year Penang saw from 2013 to 2019.
He said SPCT’s expansion, which was completed in May, saw the pier extended by 220m at the north terminal. This makes the overall extension measuring 820m until now.
Around RM95 million was spent on the expansion project with Penang Port planning further upgrading in the months to come.
According to Wee, the cruise liner activities provide a welcome boost for the tourism industry battered by the pandemic.
“It acts as an alternative (activity) for local and foreign tourists,” he said.
We are also working hard to get the international cruise sector to reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Wee said that to ensure sustainability, there is a need to comply with the standard operating procedures (SOPs).
The present packages include an overnight foray into the Straits of Malacca and a two-night voyage to the duty-free paradise of Langkawi.
Among those present at the event were Penang Port Commission chairman Datuk Tan Teik Cheng, Penang Port Commission general manager Monaliza Suhaimi, PPSB chairman Datuk Seri Syed Mohamed Aidid Syed Murtaza and PPSB chief executive Datuk Sasedharan Vasudevan.
Also present were Genting Cruise Lines vice-president (sales) Cynthia Lee and ship captain Johan Aron Bohman.
Following the nationwide movement control order imposed in March last year, the Malaysian government prohibited cruise ships from operating to curb the spread of the virus, which effectively led to businesses becoming crippled.
Star Pisces is under the Star Cruises brand owned and operated by Genting Cruise Lines.
The vessel was originally built as the cruise ferry of MS Kalypso in 1990 at Masa-Yards Turku New Shipyard, Finland for Rederi AB Slite for use in the Viking Line traffic.
Genting purchased it in early 2000s as part of its effort to diversify its core business from gaming to the luxury cruise business.
It was reported that SPCT handled nearly 1.16 million passengers in 2019, of which 64% came from the “cruise to nowhere” package offered by the Leisure World and Oriental Dragon cruise ships.
The industry faced a setback in its bid to restore the business when the Genting-owned Dream Cruises ship on a “cruise to nowhere” was reportedly forced to make an earlier-than-scheduled return to Singapore in July after a coronavirus case was detected on board.
On November 1, The Vibes reported travel agents feeling disappointed at the absence of any specific measures in Budget 2022 to help them revive their businesses after the industry was battered by the Covid-19 pandemic. – The Vibes, December 26, 2021.
Additional reporting by Rachel Yeoh
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