LSL serves historic Colombo call by luxury cruiser Viking Mars

The luxury cruise vessel, Viking Mars, called the port of Colombo from 18 to 19 November marking it as the inaugural call for cruise vessels since the start of the pandemic in 2019.

Lanka Shipping and Logistics Ltd. (LSL) was the appointed port agent for the Viking Mars on this call and facilitated all husbandry services and port formalities with close coordination between the Sri Lanka Immigrations Dept., Sri Lanka Customs and Sri Lanka Ports Authority.

“This is also a major milestone achievement for LSL in terms of vessel handling in addition to the bulk, container, tanker and foreign Naval vessels that is usually handled by our agency, marking this as the first luxury cruise vessel handled under the LSL agency with many more to follow,” a LSL spokesperson said.

This vessel call marked the beginning of the winter season cruise vessel tours, The Viking Mars had over 650 passengers on board majority from USA and European origin and with over 450 crew on board as well. The passengers as well as the crew went on pre-arranged excursions to the main tourist attractions around the island helping to boost the foreign currency income into our local economy through tourism.

The spokesperson said the dedicated LSL Operations staff working 24x7 ensured all husbandry related services were provided to the vessel in a timely and effective manner making this vessel call a smooth one. In close coordination with Viking Cruises, the parent company of the Viking Mars LSL expects a bright future ahead for cruise vessel calls to Sri Lanka and for the Port of Colombo in particular for the upcoming year 2023. Two more cruise vessel calls under Viking Cruises are scheduled to visit the Port of Colombo in the first quarter of 2023.