Hooghly CSL to construct two luxury cruise vessels

Hooghly Cochin Shipyard Limited (Hooghly CSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Cochin Shipyard Limited, will construct two luxury river cruise vessels to be operated on the Brahmaputra by Heritage River Journeys Private Limited, operating under the brand name Antara River Cruises.

The luxury cruise operator has entered into a construction contract with Hooghly CSL as part of the project. The agreement for the construction of the first vessel and a Letter of Intent (LOI) for the second were signed by Sanil Peter, chief executive officer, Hooghly CSL, and Raj Singh, founder and chairman, Antara River Cruises, in the presence of Madhu S. Nair, chairman and managing director, Cochin Shipyard Limited, according to a release.

The contract represents the synergy of world-class shipbuilding expertise and high-end riverine hospitality while reinforcing a shared commitment to the growth of luxury river cruise tourism in the country. The new vessels promise to set new benchmarks for luxury, safety, and sustainability in inland navigation and reflect a strong push towards the Union government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative and showcases India’s growing capacity to design and construct globally competitive cruise vessels of international standards, the release said.