MPA to develop marina in the sea on EPC mode, says Chairman Rajiv Jalota

The potential for a marina in Mumbai Port stems from the large number of yachts that visit the port or are based in the city

Mumbai Port Authority, the state-owned entity that runs the port in Mumbai, plans to develop a marina in the sea with its own funds, dropping an earlier move to build it on land on the public-private-partnership (PPP) model, Infra reports citing a top official.

“Now, we are not developing it on land; we are developing it in the sea. Studies are at a very advanced stage and clearances should come through. It will be an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) project, which Mumbai Port Authority will do on its own,” Rajiv Jalota, Chairman, Mumbai Port Authority told ET Infra.

The earlier plan was to develop and run the marina at the port’s Princess Dock on a public-private-partnership (PPP) mode for 45 years.

The port authority floated tenders twice, the second after restructuring the bid terms for the project. “But nobody came,” he added.

Under the earlier plan, the successful bidder had to invest Rs575.19 crores to design the marina and its ancillary systems over 9.02 hectares of land with a capacity to park at least 300 pleasure boats/yachts of different sizes.

The Princess Dock, along with Victoria Dock, were built in the 18th century, during British rule. With limited scope for expanding cargo handling activities in the face of evacuation hurdles typical to a city-based port, the port authority has decided to develop the waterfront for leisure activities more suitable with urban uses. The move aligned with the larger plan on Mumbai waterfront regeneration.

Most of the areas owned by Mumbai Port is in South Mumbai on the Eastern waterfront. South Mumbai is one of the most premium locations in the country, and the economic value of Mumbai Port’s land parcel is expected to be significant.

For a country with a vast coastline of more than 7,500 kms, India hardly has a marina to park luxury yachts/pleasure boats.

The potential for a marina in Mumbai Port stems from the large number of yachts that visit the port or are based in the city. Moreover, the fleet anchors the Gateway of India monument, requiring owners to step on board via a small slipway or, in the case of larger yachts, hire tenders to ferry them around.

Having the most number of privately owned leisure boats, it is a ready market for marina. Due to unavailability of a designated marina off Mumbai, at any given time, around 200 small leisure boats can be seen moored near the Gateway of India.

Considering all these factors, as well as the historical-cultural importance of the City of Mumbai and of its hinterland, the port authority has evaluated the opportunity to create a marina equipped with all the typical services of the best marinas in the world to enhance and promote the growth of the territory, of the city, and at the same time, to open the city to tourism by sea, the port authority previously said.