Mumbai-Goa luxury cruise service from Oct 11

India's first ever passenger cruise line service between Mumbai and Goa will set to sail on October 11.

Union Shipping and Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari will launch the ship at a newly constructed domestic terminal at Mumbai Port.

The premium cruise service is a joint venture between Mumbai Port Trust and Angriya Sea Eagle Cruise Pvt Ltd. The ship Angriya is named after first Maratha Navy Admiral (Sarkhel) Kanhoji Angre and the great Angria bank coral reef near Vijaydurg, Maharashtra.

Though the price of the ticket is yet to be announced, the cost per person for one way travelling will be between Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000 which also includes food.

In the cruise ship, there will be multiple restaurants, coffee shops, recreation room, swimming pool, lounge and discotheque. It can carry 400 passengers and has 104 cabins of different categories, said an official in the Union Ministry of Shipping.

The ship will depart from Mumbai at 5 pm and reach Goa around 9 am. It will return to Mumbai on alternate days. In the later stage, the government plans to include Mangaluru, Kochi and other important coastal places in cruise liner destination, said the official.

Earlier, Gadkari said this will boost tourism activities in both Maharashtra as well as Goa and also create employment opportunities. He said every year India receives 80 foreign cruise liners and the government plans to increase the number to 1,000 in the next five years.

Gadkari also announced the Centre's plan to start the cruise liner between Varanasi- Allahabad and Varanasi-Patna-Kolkota.