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  Today Online 30 Mar 07
Cruise terminal in Marina South ready in 6 years
Jasmine Yin

WITH the cruise business in Asia heating up, the snail's crawl so far to develop a cruise terminal at Marina South looks to have been finally given the nod by the authorities — but it may take up to six years before its docks are ready for operations.

A representative from the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) had said that "the cruise terminal in Marina South would be ready (by) 2012, 2013" during a trade event two weeks ago in Miami, the Singapore Cruise Centre's (SCC) president Cheong Teow Cheng told Today. He was also a participant at the same four-day event, called the Seatrade Cruise Shipping Convention.

The SCC, which has been "unwavering" in its interest in this new terminal ever since the site was earmarked more than six years ago, will be keen to participate in this development, Mr Cheong added.

In fact, in 2003, the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Public Spaces and Urban Waterfront Master Plan identified the proposed cruise terminal alonsgside other passenger and ferry terminals to form the Maritime Hub at Marina South.

A preliminary site study conducted in Marina South in the second half of last year on tidal movement and how passing vessels can affect cruise vessels docked at the site have wrapped up. It is believed to be the first such study the STB has carried out in the area.

When contacted, the tourism board's director (Sightseeing and cruise) Dayne Lim would only say that "we are planning and in discussion with the related government agencies and cruise industry partners toward the development of the new cruise terminal at Marina South over the next five years".

Yesterday, the SCC and iCell Network rolled out the free wireless programme, Wireless@SG, for passengers at three terminals that the former operates: the international passenger terminal and regional ferry terminal at HarbourFront, and the Tanah Merah regional ferry terminal.

This move makes the SCC's terminals the first entry points in Singapore, as well as the first cruise and ferry terminals in the region, to provide free Internet connectivity to its passengers.

In the pipeline are VOIP services that will allow users to make low-cost international calls in the second half of this year, as well as a digital concierge service for users to customise the information they wish to receive on WiFi-enabled devices such as like laptops and mobile phones.

These initiatives — along with other systems upgrading at the SCC terminals — add up to some $2.5 million, Mr Cheong said. "The SCC recognises the challenges and IT demands of tomorrow and is taking pro-active steps to not just stay relevant, but also to stay ahead of the needs of the future."
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