The much-awaited Mumbai-Goa ferry service is due to start in the middle of April, Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) officials confirmed.
The voyage is getting refurbished and needs a number of licences and approvals from the authorities to get operational, that is why the date of launch was shifted to April.
The officials said they were sure the operations will commence between April 18-20. An official from the Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT) said that certain clearances were required and it would take some more time. It was undergoing some trials but they expected services to start somewhere in the middle of April. The cruise had undergone extensive refitting for which statutory clearances were required. Refitting was done to make it suitable as per Indian culture.
The cruise had to start sailing from March 2018, but the dates were postponed because of the refurbishments and approvals.
The new cruise service will start from Mazagaon's domestic terminal. En route, it will feature stops at Dighi, Dhabol, Jaigad, Vijay Durg, Malvan and Panaji.
The boat has 400-guest capacity and will need 16 hours to sail from Mumbai to Goa. The service will not operate during the 4 months of the monsoon.