New cruise terminal in Kamchatka to welcome its first cruise ship in summer 2017 (photo)
Upgraded port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is going to welcome the first cruise ship in summer 2017. According to the press center of the Kamchatka Territory, the passenger terminal facilities will be put into operation together with the 100-metre long berth the reconstruction of which is to be completed by 31 May. The depth at the berth is 9 meters, therefore it will be able to accommodate cruise ships of up to 8.5 m in draft.
On 3 February 2017, the construction site of the Kamchatka port was visited by Yury Trutnev, Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District. Together with Vladimir Ilyukhin, Kamchatka Governor, and Victor Olersky, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation, Head of Federal Marine and River Transport Agency (Rosmorrechflot), they examined the new building of the passenger terminal and discussed the prospects of the cruise shipping development in the region.
Yury Trutnev said the berths of the Kamchatka port terminal would be able to accommodate vessels of up to 250 m in length. He also emphasized the necessity to improve customs clearance infrastructure and develop everything related to tourists.
The construction of the passenger terminal building was completed in December 2016. The capacity of the new building covering the area of more than 8,000 sqm can service up to 200 persons simultaneously. The waiting space, ticket offices, luggage storage rooms and information desk will be arranged in the building in 2017. One of the blocks will accommodate the border checkpoint.
The modernization of port infrastructure in Kamchatka is expected to boost the number of passenger ships calls from 15-20 to 60 per year.
The construction works started in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in summer 2014 under the federal programme “Economic and social development of the Far East and the Baikal territories till 2018”. The works cost RUB 532.9 mln including RUB 80 mln allocated from the federal budget for the reconstruction of Berth No 5. Modernization of other berth facilities at the port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky is under discussion now. About RUB 1.2 bln is to be allocated by the federal budget for construction of berth facilities at the Signalny cape.
According to Rosmorrechflot, the first cruise ship will call the port in mid-June.
