Dubai: Passengers may be able to take their cars onboard a luxury cruise ship, which is expected to set sail between Dubai and Kochi in the last week of February, said Mohammad A. Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the city-based Marco Shipping.

He said discussions are under way with the Kerala government to permit passengers to take their vehicles.

Al Suwaidi said that the objective of starting a passenger cruise is to lure Indians who are heading to South Asian destinations for their vacations from India.

"My objective is to lure them to Dubai. In the future we also plan to provide them with facilities like hotel bookings when they come over here," he said. Once operational it will take four-and-a-half days to reach Kochi.

This is not the first time that a passenger service by sea has been initiated between India and Dubai. The last time a ship sailed from Dubai to India carrying passengers, it ran into troubled waters after it was found violating the International Maritime Regulations. The new cruise service comes as a result of an agreement reached between the Marco Shipping Agency, Dubai and the Cochin Port Trust on November 22.

Cargo space

To start with only one of the two ships will be made operational between Dubai and Kochi. The ship called Mirdiff-1 features 120 beds in economy class and 600 first class and luxury cabins. It has a huge cargo space. The ship currently operates between Iraq and Dubai. Economy class passenger can carry 100 kgs of cargo while first class passengers will be allowed to carry 150 kgs in cargo.

Bookings will be announced a month before the date on which the ship sets sail to Kochi. The ship is currently docked at Port Rashid.

"The ship is in excellent condition and we have adhered to all the latest International Maritime stipulations. Let me be very clear we will not make the cruise line operational unless the passenger terminal at the Cochin Port Trust is refurbished with passenger facilities," said Al Suwaidi. "We will be putting in customs and immigration counters, banks and refreshment facilities at the terminal in Kochi," he added.

Asked about fares he said: "It would be too early to talk about that right now. But the fares will definitely be less than what you pay to fly to Kochi."

On whether he has plans to extend the cruise service to other Indian ports, Al Suwaidi said: "Yes, of course. By September we plan to set the next ship to join the cruise fleet and dock at the Mumbai Port Trust."

Expatriates welcome the facility

"Finally we will have a luxury passenger cruise to India from Dubai," said Dilip Menon, a Dubai-based chartered accountant.

Vidhi Gupta, a Dubai-based bank employee, said: "If there is a luxury cruise liner line linked to Kochi, I would not mind spending four days at sea."

"It will bring in a lot of tourists to and from India and the UAE," said Gopalkrishnan, a Dubai-based computer analyst.

"It would definitely be worth a try," says Gayatri Ramanathan, a Dubai-based housewife.