Shanghai Post International Cruise Terminal (SIPG) will officially open on 5 August 2008. It will be a multibillion-Yuan terminal on the Huangpu River in the heart of Shanghai, and will fulfill the city's ambition to become the top cruise ship hub in Asia.
MSC Cruises’, a key investor in the terminal, will make SIPG their Asian hub port and commence a number of Asian routes off the back of the launch of the terminal. MSC Cruises who sail principally in Europe and South America will deploy their newest and most experienced staff to Asia.
MSC Cruises and SIPG have formed a joint venture (JV) travel and General Sales agency called MSC Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. In order to encourage the local tourist community to consider cruising, MSC Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd will make efforts to educate the local tourist market on understanding the cruising lifestyle, its advantages over other means of travel and a popular way to enjoy leisure travel. This includes setting up a 6,000 m2 "Cruise Centre” to promote the cruising concept and to provide the general public with an understanding of what cruising is like.
SIPG Terminal is located on the North Bund in the Hongkou District and acts as a "Gate on the Water" for the city. It has a waterfront of 880 meters and a land area of around 130,000 square meters. Connected with the Bund in the west and facing Oriental Pearl TV Tower in Lujiazui across the Huangpu River in the south, it offers a panoramic view of the landscape on both sides of the river.
SIPG expects to attract both inbound and outbound passenger liners as well as foreign cruise liners. The terminal will also host the 2008 Seatrade All Asia Cruise Convention in October 2008.
Vicky Karantzavelou - Friday, April 18, 2008