Alliance government to focus on MV Maa floating restaurant

Visakhapatnam: MV MAA, a Bangladeshi bulk carrier which got drifted to the shore during the cyclonic storm on 12th October, 2020, ran aground and landed on the shore abutting Tenneti Park in Visakhapatnam. However, the previous YSRCP government proposed to utilise the MV Maa ship for tourism purposes by developing it into a floating restaurant.

In line with the proposal, Gill Marines, Visakhapatnam, who took over the vessel from the insurers PNI Club, offered to sell the abandoned vessel to APTDC initially for Rs.4.50 crore in February 2021. After several negotiations, Gill Marines, Visakhapatnam agreed to sell the abandoned vessel for Rs 1.25 crore.

As salvage operations and restoration works turned out to be futile, the owners of the vessel, Advance Shipping Ltd., Dhaka decided to declare the ship as abandoned. PNI Club (North of England), the insurers of the vessel, have taken over the vessel and declared it as a wreck and proposed it for disposal as scrap.

With the approval of the proposal in the cabinet for the conversion of MV Maa cargo ship into a floating restaurant, the previous government was approved to purchase and remodel the ship at an estimated cost of Rs 10.5 crore. The unique project is aimed at becoming a major tourist attraction.

Meanwhile, Gill Marines came forward to develop the ship as a resort through a special purpose vehicle (SPV) exclusively created for the purpose and sought for the support to provide infrastructure.

Based on the request of Gill Marines, APTDC asked to submit a detailed proposal along with a DPR on the works to be handled by the SPV for the development of the MV Maa ship in two phases

Gill Marines commenced necessary repair and development works to the ship and proposed to develop the beachfront with a restaurant and landscaping.

In order to facilitate APTDC to handle the MAA ship project in collaboration with Gill Marines, a letter was sent to GVMC and VMRDA to handover Tenneti Park to the control of the APTDC for its development and future maintenance.

The project however came to a standstill. With the formation of the new government, hopes to revoke the MV Maa floating restaurant project get revoked.

Speaking to The Hans India, regional director of AP Tourism Srinivas Pani said, “Clearances from the forest Department along with other wings are awaited for the project. Once the project gets cleared, it is certain to become one of the most sought-after tourist spots in the state.”