Cruise liner 'Queen Mary 2' calls at Cochin Port

KOCHI: Queen Mary 2, claimed to be the largest ocean cruise liner in the world, called on Cochin Port on Wednesday with 2,483 passengers and 1,255 crew members as part of its world tour.
The Bermuda-flagged transatlantic ocean liner, belonging to Cunard Line, arrived from Chennai and docked at the Q7 berth of the wharf around 5.30am.
Port authorities and District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC) arranged a heartyy welcome to the ship and its passengers, who spent around 12 hours in sightseeing in the city and surrounding places before departing Kochi in the evening.
DTPC has scheduled various tour programmes, including trips to Alappuzha and Kumbalangi. A half-day sightseeing tour at Fort Kochi and Mattancherry was also organized and tourists were taken to Santa Cruz Basilica, Indo-Portuguese Museum, Dutch Palace, Jewish Cemetery and Jain Temple.
"We have arranged traditional welcome with 'singari melam' percussion at the pier. We also operated DTPC Tuk Tuk autorickshaws and conducted taxi tour to Fort Kochi and Mattancherry in association with empanelled autorickshaw and taxi drivers, who were trained to work as chauffeurs," said Ernakulam DTPC secretary S Vijaya Kumar.
But many passengers were apprehensive to go for shore excursions due to hot climate. "Due to the hot weather, many of the guests were not in a mood to enjoy shore excursions and decided to stay onboard," said a port official.
Cochin Port Trust (CPT) arranged a temporary handicraft market for the passengers. A bike ambulance 'first responder' was also stationed at the port in case the passengers fall sick while on shore excursion. As many as 74 passengers embarked and 33 disembarked at the port. The ship, which left Kochi around 7pm, will dock at Abu Dhabi next.