The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) believes that once completed, the cruise port facility project in Puerto Princesa City will place it on the world map of popular international cruise destinations.
In a press statement on Tuesday, DPWH Region 4B director Wilfredo Mallari said that the ongoing implementation of the cruise port facility’s Phases 3 and 4 is expected to be completed this 2020.
“Once completed, the cruise port facility can accommodate up to 10,000 passengers,” Mallari said in the statement.
The project, which costs P1.5 billion, consists of seven phases and includes the construction of a 500-meter wharf, docking, facility, passenger terminal, and access roads aimed at expanding cruise ship visits in the city and sustaining the fast-growing industry in South East Asia and the Pacific.
Puerto Princesa City is home to the Subterranean River National Park popularly known as Underground River which was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999 and voted as a New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2012.
The westernmost city in the Philippines is also the gateway to other popular tourist destinations in El Nido, San Vicente, and Taytay.
On January 11, MV Europa, the first cruise ship for the year, arrived in the city with 333 passengers. Its visit will be followed by the arrival on February 9 of two more — AIDAvita and MV Seabourn Sojourn.
This year, cruise ships expected to visit aside from the MV Europa are MV Seaborne, MV Explorer Dream, AIDAvita, Seabourn Sojourn, Star Breeze, MS Noordam, and Celebrity Millenium.
In 2021, MV Noordam, Celebrity Millennium, Silver Spirit, Maasdam, Arcadia, Star Breeze, MS Queen Elizabeth, MV Seabourn Ovation will also visit.
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