Mumbai’s Mega Cruise Gateway Ready — ₹555 Cr International Terminal Set to Open at Ballard Pier

Can accommodate 10,000 passengers at once; aims to position Mumbai as the cruise capital of India

Mumbai – The much-anticipated International Cruise Terminal at Ballard Pier is now complete and set for inauguration on April 21 by Union Ports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. Built at a cost of ₹555 crore, the terminal boasts the capacity to process up to 10,000 international passengers at a time.

In line with the central government’s vision to make Mumbai a hub for marine tourism and cruising, this ultra-modern terminal — the most advanced of its kind in India — will be capable of docking two large cruise liners simultaneously. The project has been developed by Ballard Pier Private Limited, which will operate the terminal under a 30-year agreement.

While much of Mumbai’s port trade currently runs through the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) in Raigad, plans are underway to build a significantly larger port at Vadhavan in Palghar district. With this expansion and the addition of the cruise terminal, Mumbai is set to see a major boost in both cargo and passenger handling capacity.

Key Features of the Cruise Terminal:

• ₹555 crore investment
• 72 immigration counters to process 10,000 passengers within two hours
• Will serve royal cruise liners along the Europe–Thailand route
• Annual passenger capacity of 7 lakh
• Ground plus three-storey structure with world-class facilities