IT HAS vital statistics that make mariners swoon.

But on Sunday, the largest cruise liner to be based in Singapore ended up among container ships.

It is unable to call at the Singapore Cruise Centre because its height, at more than 52m, is taller than the overhead cable car lines to Sentosa near the terminal.

The 2,435-passenger Rhapsody of the Seas, on its first voyage to Singapore, ended up at a berth at the Pasir Panjang Container Terminal some 5km away.

The welcome party had to move over too.

The container port had been used by cruise ships about 25 times this year due to berthing shortage or size restrictions at the cruise centre.

These issues need to be addressed soon if Singapore wants to maintain its position as a cruise hub, said industry players.

Meanwhile, Singapore Tourism Board chief Lim Neo Chian, in a fillip for the local cruise industry, said construction is expected to begin on Singapore's second cruise terminal in Marina South by next year.

It should be completed 'within two to three years'.

He said: 'The plan (for the new terminal) is to accommodate the new generation of cruise ships now being built.'

These mega-ships are expected to carry more than 3,000 passengers.

Cruise operators here had been urging Singapore to build a second cruise terminal some two years ago.

Reasons cited included overcrowding at the current terminal as well as height and size limitations that prevent larger ships from docking at the cruise centre.

Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.