Vizag’s floating restaurant set to dazzle this Dasara

In a major boost to Visakhapatnam’s tourism, the eagerly awaited floating restaurant aboard the merchant vessel MV Maa is poised to open to the public this Dasara season, likely on October 12. It will be the first of its kind on the East Coast. Once an abandoned vessel of the Bangladesh Navy, the MV Maa has undergone a remarkable transformation into a luxurious dining and recreational destination, thanks to a Rs 30 crore joint venture between Shore and Ship Resorts and the Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC).
Diners can expect an unparalleled experience. The floating restaurant boasts an open deck restaurant with multi-cuisine kitchens, an open-air cafe, and a spacious indoor dining area. For a truly unique touch, there’s even an air-conditioned dining area with a skylight located within the ship’s cargo hold. But that’s not all. The MV Maa offers a range of other amenities, including a seafaring yacht, cottages, and water scooters. On shore, a three-acre private and public beach area beckons, complete with shacks, shops, water sports facilities for beach volleyball, a children’s park, and an outdoor gym. “We are awaiting environmental clearances from the Ministry of Environment as the area falls under Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ),” explained Surender Singh Gill, promoter of Shore and Ship Resorts.
This innovative project was greenlit during the global investment summit held in February 2023. Shore and Ship Resorts handled the development of the ship and marine works in the first phase, while APTDC managed the shore-side infrastructure.  Recognizing the project’s proximity to popular tourist spots like Tenneti Park and Kailasagiri Hills, separate road and parking facilities are being developed at Jodugullapalem Beach to ease traffic congestion, according to an APTDC official.
“The abandoned ship is set to be a major tourist draw. We’ve requested the developers to expedite the opening to accommodate tourists visiting Vizag this winter season,” the official told The Pioneer on Saturday. The MV Maa first captured public attention when it ran aground at Tenneti Park on October 12, 2020, drawing crowds eager to see and photograph the vessel.
Project officials highlighted the engineering challenges involved, including correcting the ship’s tilt, levelling the seabed for weight distribution, and mitigating wave impact. The solutions were as innovative as the concept itself, employing high-tension wires, geo tubes, and special structural frames. Sustainability is also a key focus, with the landscape featuring modern systems using solar and wave energy, along with recycled materials, all while preserving the natural beauty of the surroundings.
The 80-meter-long Bangladeshi vessel had anchored in Visakhapatnam on September 19, 2020, in ballast condition to load 2,800 tonnes of quartzite for the Port of Mongla in Bangladesh. However, strong winds on the night of October 12 caused the vessel’s anchor chain to snap, leading to its grounding near Tenneti Park. The Andhra Pradesh government later floated the idea of converting the vessel into a floating restaurant, drawing parallels to the Telugu Desam government’s previous, albeit unsuccessful, attempt to transform the decommissioned aircraft carrier INS Viraat into a floating hotel during its 2014-2019 term.