Pakistan's Ministry of Ports & Shipping has planned a luxury ferry service between Karachi and Dubai, which is expected to start by November. Pakistan's Ports and Shipping Director-General, Captain Anwar Shah (Retd) was quoted as saying by Gulf News on Wednesday that Pakistan government was encouraging private operators to run the ferry service.
'We have already awarded licences to five operators and Gulf Dream Cruise will be the first to operate its cruise in November,' he said. Shah said the service would be extended to other Gulf countries such as Bahrain, Oman and Qatar in the coming years. Passengers will be able to take a one-way trip. A return trip on a planned Dubai-Karachi ferry route will cost $549.
The luxury ferry service takes two days to cross the Gulf. Gulf Dream Cruise weighs 23,000 tonnes with a length of 196 metres. It has 540 rooms and it can accommodate up to 1,250 passengers and will have a crew of 400. The cruise will have all the facilities available in an international cruise liner. It will have theatre, games, entertainment facilities, restaurants and even bars.