'MV Insignia’, the seventh cruise vessel of the current season, arrived at New Mangalore Port on Wednesday. The Marshall Island flagged ship had 466 passengers and 399 crew members on board.
Sailing from Fujairah and Mumbai Ports, the vessel’s last port of call was Mormugao Port in Goa and after leaving Mangaluru, the ship will sail to Cochin Port.
The overall length of the ship is 180.05 metres with a carrying capacity of 30,277 Gross Tonnage and has a draft of 6 meters. The ship is owned and operated by Oceania Cruises, headquartered in Miami.
It is a subsidiary of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd, a diversified cruise operator of leading global cruise brands, which includes Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.
The cruise passengers were given a traditional welcome by playing drums while disembarking from the ship. They availed benefits of a meditation centre set up by the Department of Ayush inside the cruise lounge.
Clothing and handicraft outlets were also kept open for them. Tourists clicked photos in front of the selfie stand set up by the Ministry of Tourism, Government of India.
The port had arranged a Yakshagana performance in the cruise lounge for entertaining the passengers.
The passengers visited various tourist destinations, such as Achal Cashew Factory, Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara Temple, Thousand Pillars Basadi, St Aloysius Chapel, local market, Pilikula Artisan village and Soans Farm.