Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoSPW) Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off cruise Operations from the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal (MICT) in Mumbai on Monday. He also inaugurated a fire memorial at Victoria Docks as well as renovated two heritage buildings — Fort House Ballard Estate and Evelyn House at Colaba, Mumbai.

The MICT, developed as per the Cruise Bharat Mission, was developed as per the latest global standards and is expected to take a pioneering role in developing cruise tourism in India. Spread over a built up area of more than 4,15,000 square feet, the MICT is developed at Ballard Pier.

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MICT is India’s largest world-class cruise terminal. Equipped with 72 Check in and Immigration counters spreading over an area of 2,07,000 Square Feet on the first two floors (G+1) while the other two floors (2 + 3) are developed as Commercial Floors. The newly-inaugurated MICT is designed to handle 1 million passengers every year with an approximate 10,000 passengers per day. It can also handle 5 ships simultaneously, with 11 meters draft and upto 300 meters length.

Speaking on the commencement of Cruise Service from MICT, Sonowal said, “The maritime history of Mumbai is rich and an integral part of our civilisation. As a coastal hub, it has served the nation handsomely with its bustling coastal business. It is only logical that we work towards realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of Bharat becoming a global cruise hub through its state-of-the-art infrastructure. Today, Mumbai, with its longstanding reputation as a major maritime hub in the world, commenced Cruise Operations from the Mumbai International Cruise Terminal, providing passengers modern amenities for a better and safer experience. This adds to our existing such top class international terminals at Visakhapatnam and Chennai. In order to celebrate the heroic contribution of Mumbai Port Fire Services personnel, the newly renovated fire memorial at Victoria Docks celebrates their distinctive service to the nation.”

MICT will provide enhanced passenger experience and position Mumbai as one of the major hubs for cruise tourism. The total investment in the MICT project has been Rs 556 crores.

Elaborating on the vision of Cruise Bharat Mission, Sonowal said, “PM Narendra Modi’s call for port-led prosperity has redefined our maritime ambitions. We also give momentum to the ‘Cruise Bharat Mission’—our resolve to make Bharat one of the top cruise destinations in the world. The mission embraces three pillars—ocean and harbour cruises, river and inland cruises, as well as island and lighthouse cruises. With a comprehensive strategy that combines digital ease, circuit integration, environmental sustainability, and global partnerships, This is India’s cruise awakening—bold, inclusive, and future-ready. Under the visionary leadership of hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, India’s maritime sector has witnessed an astonishing transformation. it is the story of an India that believes in its potential and invests in its people”.

Sonowal also attended an MoU signing ceremony for development of Infrastructure projects with investment worth of more than Rs 5700 crores at Vadhavan Port, on Monday. The agreements were signed for development of a terminal for handling container, bulk, and liquid cargo with investment of Rs 4,200 crore, development of a dedicated terminal for handling bulk and liquid cargo with an investment of Rs 1,000 crores and development of a liquid cargo jetty and a tank farm with a capacity of 3,00,000 CBM for handling liquefied chemicals and related products with an investment of Rs 500 crores.

Sonowal said, “Our dynamic leader, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji, has given us a vision of transforming Vadhavan Port to become one of the top 10 global ports. As Vadhavan Port project is likely to power up India’s current capacity by more than three times, this is all weather, a green field deep draft major port is going to act as a game changer for not only India’s maritime sector, but also enable regional trade. As India is poised to become a Viksit Bharat by 2047, this port is likely to act as a major growth multiplier. In this regard, the MoUs signed today adds towards creation of infrastructure and capacity of the Vadhavan port and helps us take another step towards realising the vision of our PM”.