Bali has increasingly become a stop on the itineraries of cruise ships, and a port official says 2012 should be able to accommodate even more cruise ships.
Iwan Sabatini, the general manager of Pelabuhan Indonesia III (PELINDO), which manages Benoa Port in southern Bali, said on Monday that 35 cruise ships berthed at the port last year, compared to 27 in 2010 and 15 in 2009.
“That number exceeded our target.” Iwan said.
Bali’s Benoa harbor is scheduled to be visited by 38 ships cruise ships in 2012, including the Legend of the Sea measuring 264 meters.
Iwan said they had completed dredging work deepening sea to at least 9.5 meters and widening it to 150 meters all along the jetty, allowing for larger cruise ships such as the Legend of the Sea to be able to enter Benoa Harbour.
According to Iwan, Benoa is much in demand by cruise operators due to its proximity to the main tourism areas of Bali’s south.
Iwan continued: In the future, cruise ships that come to Indonesia will increase in number and be of 200 to 300 meters in length. This will demand that we create piers and ports of sufficient capacity and berths with up to 12 meters of depth.
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Bali is also constructing a deep port for cruise ships in Tanah Ampo, in Karangasem district, which has been beset with problems, and more than once the project has been halted because of funding problems. But the Karangasem district chief, I Wayan Geredeg, said a new agreement signed by the ministries of transportation, people’s welfare, tourism and the creative economy, and maritime affairs and fisheries would allow work to resume soon.
Geredeg said the Tanah Ampo cruise ship terminal would provide another major gateway for tourists to arrive on the island, in addition to Ngurah Rai International Airport.
More than 2.5 million foreigners visited Bali in 2010, and the target for last year was 2.6 million to 2.8 million.