For the 3rd time: Cruise ship to visit Tagbilaran

CEBU, Philippines - The world-famous M/S Minerva cruise ship of the Swan Company will visit and dock here, for the third time, on January 18, from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. or an 11-hour stopover, according to a certain Capt. Degamo of the harbor pilot group here and confirmed by the Philippine Coast Guard office yesterday.

The arrival of M/S Minerva is part of its itinerary posted in its website. The report quoted to Degamo as saying that the luxury ship will come from Kota Kinabalo in Malaysia with more than 300 passengers and more than a hundred crew members, most of whom were Flipinos.

This will be the third visit of the famous cruise ship: The first one was sometime in January 2003 and the second on January 25, 2005, Degamo said in the report.

The cruise ship's passengers are all tourist wanting to experience the hospitality of Boholanos and the province's rich cultural heritage and picturesque landscapes.

Earlier reports stated that M/S Minerva was supposed to dock at Catagbacan cruise port but shifted its port of call to Tagbilaran due to some shallow areas of that port in Loon town.

Preparations are now underway to make the cruise ship's visit as smooth as ever, including the banning of Badjaos swimming near the docked vessel here, the report added. (FREEMAN)