KUCHING, March 25 — Kuching needs a deep-sea port to make the state a viable cruise destination in the future, said Sarawak Tourism Board (STB) director of stakeholder relations Maurice Balang.

"This is to cater for mega cruise ships with the capacity of more than 3,000 passengers,” he said in a press release issued by STB in conjunction with Sarawak welcoming back cruise ship passengers this year.

Last Thursday, Sarawak welcomed the arrival of its first cruise ship for the year as the Star Breeze docked, bringing in 201 passengers for a brief visit to the state’s capital.

The cruise ship from Singapore en route to Hong Kong anchored at Sim Kheng Hong Port at 8am.

Passengers were given a warm traditional garlanding welcome before going on a visit to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Sarawak Cultural Village and around the city for the Kuching Heritage tour.

The passengers were mostly from the United States of America, United Kingdom, Australia and other Asean countries.

Maurice said the arrival of Star Breeze marks the reinstatement of cruise ship arrivals into the state after a three-year hiatus. Another cruise ship is expected to arrive in Sarawak in November later this year.

The Star Breeze left Kuching in the late evening of the same day to sail to its next destination . Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Other destinations also include several islands in the Philippines before its scheduled arrival in Hong Kong on April 4.

The ship is owned by Windstar Cruises, which is based in the USA with 205 crew members onboard. It has 13 decks and 935 cabins and can accommodate 1,870 passengers. — Borneo Post