Disused ship to turn into floating restaurant
ABANDONED Bangladeshi cargo vessel mv Maa will become another tourism attraction in Visakhapatnam after TU-142 Aircraft Museum and INS Kursura Museum on the seafront if the State Government’s plans to convert it into a floating restaurant at a cost of Rs 15 crore in the first phase becomes a reality.
image for illustrative purpose
Visakhapatnam: ABANDONED Bangladeshi cargo vessel mv Maa will become another tourism attraction in Visakhapatnam after TU-142 Aircraft Museum and INS Kursura Museum on the seafront if the State Government's plans to convert it into a floating restaurant at a cost of Rs 15 crore in the first phase becomes a reality.
The 80-meter long ship had run aground near Tenneti Park, a popular destination in the city, in October, 2020 when it drifted from its anchorage under the influence of a cyclonic storm. Permission was not given by Visakhapatnam Port to its owners to refloat and drycok for repairs at Hindustan Shipyard Limited (HSL).
Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) recently tied up with Shore and Ship Resorts Private Repair Limited to make necessary alterations within the shrimp at an estimated cost of Rs.15 crore. The ship will have an open deck with a cafeteria, cottages, sea-going yacht and water scooters. Tourism Minister Muttamsetti Srinivasa Rao told Bizz Buzz that they had come forward to convert it into a tourist attraction with required changes and facilities on the shoreline as per rules after the ship owners informed them of their decision to abandon it.
Clearances from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change are required as the project site falls in the Coastal Regulation Zone-IV category. The city has two museums on the beach road and another housing a Harrier Aircraft is at an advanced stage of construction by the Visakhapatnam Metropolitan Region Development Authority (VMRDA).
The 15-member crew of mv Maa was repatriated after the intervention of London-headquartered International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) following the talks with the ship owners and their Indian agent Navship Marine Services Pvt. Ltd and the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD).
The Bangla ship had come to Visakhapatnam for loading 2800 tonnes of quartzite in Mongla Port in Bangladesh. The vessel ran aground in ballast condition following which the authorities removed nearly 1.5 lakh liters of oil and lubricants from its tanks to prevent possibility of spillage.
