Passengers of the cruise ship, which will arrive at Chennai Port on Saturday, may be the first to experience the revamped cruise terminal.

Nearly a year after the ₹29.8-crore renovation began, the work has finally been completed after being delayed by a few months. The cruise ship, which departed from Kochi, will arrive here around 7.30 a.m. Nearly 1,800 passengers are expected to arrive and use the modernised terminal for the first time.

Around 12 p.m., the first set of departure passengers will begin boarding the ship again via the terminal, and the ship will set sail by 6 p.m. It will be on the high seas for two days and return to port on Monday morning. While usually, the port witnessed 15 trips of this vessel, this time, it is expected that there may be 21, marking an increase in the interest in cruise trips. The trips will be to and from Visakhapatnam, Sri Lanka, Puducherry, and to the high seas as well.

Since there has been some gradual rising appeal to travel by cruises, the Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways launched the Cruise Bharat Mission to give a fillip to cruise tourism and directed the ports to modernise cruise terminals. Following this, Chennai Port commenced the work in early 2025.

The refurbished terminal’s capacity has risen from 1,000 to 1,800 passengers, and it has now been equipped with exclusive zones for embarkation and disembarkation, which did not exist previously, 50 immigration counters, expanded the elevator and escalator facilities, enhanced interiors and architectural finishes, Wi-Fi, and a designated customs zone, among others.

This is the second round of modernisation for the terminal. Since the revamp carried out in 2018 focused on the northern side of the terminal, this recent upgrade focused on the expansion and improvement of the southern side. In the mezzanine floor, food and beverage outlets will come up in future.