MEDIA

26 May 2017

Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore Celebrated Fifth Anniversary

• Met a key milestone in welcoming its two millionth cruise passenger
• Handled its 500th ship call and saw a 33.6% increase in ship calls handled year-on-year

Singapore, 26 May 2017 – Marina Bay Cruise Centre Singapore (MBCCS) celebrated its fifth anniversary with a bang today. Within five years of operations, MBCCS has also achieved two other milestones, namely the welcoming of its two millionth passenger, and the handling of its 500th ship call. Just last financial year ended 31 March 2017, MBCCS handled a total of 147 ship calls, a 33.6% increase year-on-year.

To mark the celebrations, the iconic cruise terminal, operated by SATS-Creuers Cruise Services (SCCS), opened its doors to cruise passengers, and transformed into a carnival of colours and sounds. The festivities included a host of activities for the entire family to participate in and enjoy, ranging from activity booths for children that include balloon sculpting, face painting and tattoos, to a live DJ that gave away MBCCS merchandises to the guests. The event saw approximately 3,800 guests in attendance.

Making the occasion even more meaningful, the first ship that called at MBCCS on this day five years ago – Royal Caribbean International’s Voyager of the Seas – also returned and called on the terminal this morning. As part of the celebrations, SCCS partnered Royal Caribbean International and conducted a lucky draw to give away a three-night cruise on board the Voyager of the Seas.

“There’s no better way for us to celebrate with MBCCS on its fifth birthday, than having our Voyager of the Seas back here like on Day One. We are very proud of how much the cruise terminal has grown with Royal Caribbean through these years, from hosting our first mega ship to even larger and newest Quantum class ships that redefine cruising in the region. We look forward to many more successful years ahead in working together to boost Singapore’s status as a regional cruise hub.” said Sean Treacy, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.

Today, Princess Cruises’ Dawn Princess also arrived at the terminal. Princess Cruises has been homeporting its ships at MBCCS since the start of the operations at the cruise centre. Aside from Dawn Princess, Sapphire Princess has also homeported at MBCCS previously, followed by the Japanese-themed Diamond Princess which was one of two ships to call at MBCCS for the terminal's official opening ceremony five years ago.

“For our upcoming season, Sapphire Princess will return to homeport in Singapore. The newest, largest and most luxurious ship in our fleet, Majestic Princess, will also be making her maiden call to Singapore on 18 June and we are looking forward to welcoming her to MBCCS. The deployment of Princess cruise ships to Singapore is a testament to MBCCS' innovative design and excellent berthing facilities that can accommodate large ships, and it is becoming an integral part of cruising within the region,” said Farriek Tawfik, Director of Southeast Asia, Princess Cruises.

Since its opening, MBCCS with its state-of-the-art infrastructure, has effectively doubled Singapore’s berth capacity with the ability to cater to the world’s largest cruise ships and allow for larger ships to call in Singapore. This has served to anchor Singapore’s position as an attractive homeport for cruise lines. For example, Dream Cruises’ Genting Dream, a 18-deck, 151,300-tonne luxury liner, will be homeporting year-round at MBCCS starting this November, and is expected to attract about 200,000 foreign cruise passengers and generate about S$80 million in tourism receipts.

Continually enhancing the facility to provide passengers with greater comfort and efficient, value-added services, SCCS has rolled out several upgrades over the past five years. Most recently, it has also launched duty-free concession stands within the terminal, providing cruise passengers with convenient travel retail options and specially curated exclusive mechandises. It has also extended its CruiseFly services, the region’s first sea-to-air seamless baggage transfer service that allows cruise passengers to check-in, deposit their bags and collect their boarding passes without hassle.

“We are happy to celebrate this occasion with our partners and passengers. Singapore’s cruise tourism achieved 16% year-on-year growth in terms of passenger throughout in 2016, and we are proud to be part of its growth story. We look forward to forging closer partnerships with existing cruise lines, and welcome other new cruise lines at MBCCS in the future. We will continue to play an active role in anchoring Singapore’s position as the premier homeport in the region,” said Lionel Wong, Chief Executive Officer of SCCS.