Cochin port getting ready for Ocean race

A sum of Rs 30 crore will be spent for infrastructure development at the Cochin Port which is getting ready to host the India stopover of the Volvo Ocean Race, a round-the-world marathon sailing event.

Cochin Port Trust chairman N Ramachandran told newspersons here that the work had already begun for building the necessary offshore and onshore infrastructure, including a race village, to host the event from December three to 13 this year.

He said apart from the world's fastest ocean racing yachts with state-of-the-art technology backup, the event would also attract hundreds of luxury yachts and sailing vessels of different depiction, making the event truely spectacular.

Seven teams had already confirmed participation in the event which would start in October and cover more than 39,000 nautical miles, visiting 11 ports across the world. Starting from Alicante in Spain, it would stopover at Cape Town, Kochi, Singapore, Quingadao in China, Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway in Ireland, Goteborg and Stockholm, before reaching the finishing line at St. Petersburg.

State Tourism secretary V Venu said the race was truely a unique mix of the ultimate in sport, glamour and hard-nosed business. The Kochi stopover would help showcase India as an emerging economic giant while highligting the country's business potential as well as the opportunities for tourism and leisure.

An exclusive website on the Volvo Ocean Race India Stopover -- www.volvoracecochin.com -- was also launched on the occasion.

-- (UNI) -- 02SPM1.xml

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