Luxury cruise MV Voyager calls at Hambantota port

Friday, 27 December 2013 00:33 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

First passenger vessel with 365 onboard and 224 crew to call at the Magam Ruhunupura Mahinda Rajapaksa Port

The luxury cruise liner MV Voyager called at Magam Ruhunupura Mahi-nda Rajapaksa Port (MRMRP) in Hamb-antota on 21 December, creating history as the first cruise vessel to call at the port. The vessel arrived with 365 passengers and 224 crew and was under the Command of Capt. Neil Broomhall. At Hambantota, passengers visited the port and Hambantota city during her 11-hour stay at the port and their tour was operated by Raffles Leisure Ltd. The cruise liner was en route from Dubai, Oman, India and arrived in Sri Lanka where she first called the Passenger Terminal of the

Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) in Colombo on 18 December for two overnights from where she sailed to Hambantota and headed towards the east coast of India. On her arrival at MRMRP in Hambantota, the Captain and the Chief Purser were welcomed by Capt. P.S. Dias – Deputy Harbour Master at MRMRP of SLPA, M.M.M.C. Bandara, Project Manager (Ops/Main/Admin) at MRMRP of SLPA, Udara Cooray – Operations Executive, and Robin Dudley – Operations Executive of Ceyline Shipping Ltd. MV Voyager is equipped with entertainment facilities such as a night club, a swimming pool, a variety of restaurants, a gymnasium, bars, etc. All Leisure Group acts the cruise ship operators whilst Ceyline Shipping Ltd. serves as the local agents. The Ceyline Shipping Port Agency operates with a staff of Udara Cooray, Robin Dudley and Chandimal Perera – Shipping Assistant, who are under the supervision of Director Capt. Kapila Perera. Ceyline Shipping Ltd., as the agents for MV Voyager, states that the agents are pleased to inform that their principals have scheduled calls at MRMRP in Hambantota on a long-term basis due to the developments in the Sri Lankan ports sector headed by SLPA and tourism industry of Sri Lanka.