GEORGE TOWN, Sept 6 — Penang Port Sdn Bhd (PPSB) has signed a joint-venture agreement with Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCL) to redevelop the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal to accommodate larger ships.

The agreement was signed today by PPSB Chairman Datuk Syed Mohmad Syed Murtaza and RCL Senior Vice President of International Gavin Smith, and witnessed by Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook and Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.

The redevelopment will see the Swettenham Pier Cruise Terminal’s existing 400-metre berth extended by 220m and the addition of a 118m long dolphin.

Following this, the cruise terminal will be able to handle two mega-sized cruise ships simultaneously on the outer berths along with one small and one medium-sized ships on the inner berths by end-2019.

Smith said Royal Caribbean’s engagement with Penang and PPSB marked a significant step in its efforts to encourage port development in Asia.

"RCL has identified Penang as a potential investment very early on in developing our South-east Asia Strategy and George Town is a perfect cruise destination.

"Next year, we will bring in Spectrum of the Seas, our biggest ship to be deployed to Asia, with a total capacity of 5,622 guests. With Spectrum of the Seas, Quantum of the Seas and two others, Royal Caribbean will make 36 calls to Penang next year, bringing in close to 129,000 guests,” he said after the signing ceremony.

Meanwhile, Loke said the JV was very important to the growth of Malaysia’s cruise industry, especially in Penang and hoped the terminal project could begin soonest as it would benefit the tourism sector.

"The ministry fully supports this venture as it is a private investment that will expand our facilities. I see this as a win-win situation as the government did not have to provide a big fund to expand the facilities.

"At the same thing, the expansion of the cruise terminal will increase (passenger) capacity which will certainly bring in more tourists,” he added. — Bernama