(Singapore)

THE International Cruise Terminal (ICT) at Marina South, which will cost about $450 million to $500 million to build, is expected to create more than 3,000 jobs in the tourism and related industries after it comes onstream in end-2011.

'It will spur business and job opportunities for travel agents and others in the tourism industry, work for our shipyards as well as new business opportunities for companies supporting the shipping industry,' said Singapore Tourism Board (STB) assistant chief executive Margaret Teo.

The project was pushed back by a year after some tweaking of the design - the waterfront promenade will now be built on reclaimed land rather than concrete - resulting in a delay.

'While the timeline is tight, we are confident we can finish the terminal by end-2011,' said JTC Corp's assistant CEO for technical and professional services Ong Geok Soo. JTC is the development agent.

The land reclamation and dredging works - among other things - will be jointly conducted by Penta-Ocean Construction, Toa Corporation and McConnell Dowell. The tender for the terminal operator has just been called and will close in November.

Meanwhile, things appear to be going swimmingly for Singapore's cruise industry, which has continued to grow despite the shaky state of the economy earlier this year.

'In the first half of 2009, despite the global economic downturn, we managed to achieve a 20 per cent growth in cruise arrivals compared with the same period last year,' said Lim Hng Kiang, Minister for Trade and Industry, during a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony yesterday.

Last year, Singapore had a throughput of more than 920,000 passengers but is expected to reach the one-million mark by end-2009. STB has targeted 1.6 million cruise passengers per year by 2015.

The 28,000 sq m ICT will double Singapore's berth capacity from two to four, enabling more cruise ships to call on Singapore. It will be able to accommodate up to 6,800 passengers at any one time and will also feature an arrival and departure hall, as well as a ground transportation area. Passenger turnaround is expected to take about 30 minutes.

But perhaps the biggest bonus that the ICT offers is its deep waters, large turning basin and lack of height restrictions. This will allow it to cater to much bigger vessels, such as the Oasis-class ships.

Ships that are too big to stop at the Singapore Cruise Centre are now forced to anchor at the Pasir Panjang Terminal, as are smaller ships when berthing space is hard to come by during peak season.

Last year, over 20 ships docked at Pasir Panjang and this year, the number is likely to be in the 30-35 range, said STB.

Being forced to alight there is an inconvenience for cruise passengers, emphasised Chong Chee-Tut, chief operating officer of Star Cruise. Singapore's first purpose-built terminal will 'address that problem very well', he added.