Bernhard Schulte Cruise Services (BSCS) has been awarded technical management of Jalesh Cruises’ new vessel, MS Karnika, (formerly Pacific Jewel), India’s first dedicated domestic cruise operation, the company said in its release.
The 70,285-ton, 2,000-seater Crown Princess-class cruise ship is presently undergoing comprehensive refurbishment at Sembcorp Marine Admiralty Yard in Singapore prior to entering service from Mumbai, India in mid-April 2019. MS Karnika will operate cruises from India and Dubai for the duration of 2019.
Jalesh Cruises is promoted by Amit Goenka of Essel Group, a multi-billion-dollar Indian conglomerate company with interests in media, entertainment and tourism, and has recently received a US$10 million investment from a wholly-owned subsidiary of Delta Corp Limited, India’s largest casino gaming company.
The Indian cruise business has been conceptualised by experienced cruise veteran Jurgen Bailom, who has spent the past twelve months developing the onboard cruise product that includes unique entertainment formats, itineraries and shore excursion programmes.