Kuching – Sarawak welcomed back its first cruise ship this year from Singapore enroute to Hong Kong named “Star Breeze” anchored at Sim Kheng Hong Port on Thursday 23rd March 2023 at 8.00am, bringing 201 passengers for a brief visit to Sarawak.
The passengers, who are mostly from the US, UK, Europe, Australia and ASEAN countries, were given a warm traditional garlanding welcome before going for a visit to Semenggoh Wildlife Centre, Sarawak Cultural Village and around Kuching for the Kuching Heritage tour.
Sarawak Tourism Board’s (STB) Director of Stakeholder Relations Maurice Balang said the arrival of “Star Breeze” marks the reinstatement of cruise arrivals into Sarawak after a three-year hiatus, with another cruise ship expected to arrive in Sarawak in November 2023.
“Kuching needs a deep-sea port to make Sarawak a viable cruise destination in the future to cater for mega cruise ships with the capacity of more than 3,000 passengers”, he added.
The ship left Kuching in the late evening of the same day to sail to its next destination in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Other destinations also include several islands in the Philippines before it is scheduled to arrive in Hong Kong on 4th April 2023.
The “Star Breeze” is owned by Windstar Cruises that is based in the USA with 205 crew members on board.
Passengers of the “Star Breeze” receives a warm traditional welcome as the cruise ship docks at Sim Kheng Hong Port in Kuching.
The “Star Breeze” docks at Sim Kheng Hong Port in Kuching, marking the return of cruise ship arrivals to Sarawak.
A crew member of the cruise ship “Star Breeze” posing with Sarawak traditional dancers to welcome its arrival to Kuching.