Fancy boats but no marina in Mumbai

For the loaded local sybarite, it was a lesson in marine hyperluxury the week before last when 70 international boat-makers offered their ware at the Fifth International Boat Show in the city.

That’s nearly 50% more than the 47 manufacturers who had schoonered in for the fourth edition.

Is the island city generating some serious boat sales for the Ferrettis, Benettis and Overmarines to sail in?

Business is duh, actually. Not for want of money, though; it’s because there’s no place to anchor the beauties.

“Since October last year — that’s the month when India’s boating season starts and continues till May — only three to four boats have been sold in Mumbai,” said Shakeel Kudrolli, director, Aquasail Distribution Company Ltd. “We just don’t have marinas.”

A marina is a harbour for boats and yachts, providing round-the-clock services in terms of parking, security and other related services.

India’s first and only attempt so far to set up one has been in Kochi, Kerala.

Ocean Blue, a marina developer, built and maintains the 40-vessel capacity marina for the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation.

The state-government body charges around Rs15,000 per month as rent for an 18-foot boat and more for bigger ones.

Of course some seriously loaded folk continue to buy, said a whisperer at the event. “They keep their toys in distant seas, away from envious glares and the taxman. They’d rather not make their aqua statement here,” this person said.

Simon Arrol, technical director and chief operating officer of Marina India, said developers are enthusiastic about setting up marina infrastructure.    

“But there are too many headwinds. We have been trying to do things for the past three years to little success. It is difficult to find a good location and then land acquisition is also an issue,” said Arrol.

The experience on government approvals hasn’t been good either.
Marine India has plans to set up two marinas in Goa and also looking at other locations around country.

However, Malav Shroff, CEO and managing director, Ocean Blue - the company also sells boats - has a different view.

“One of the biggest difficulties is on the breakwater side. Putting up a breakwater involves a lot of capital; this is where some amount should come from the government’s side,” said Shroff.

“You could avoid this capital cost if there’s a location that does not require a breakwater, such as the marina we operate in Kochi,” he said.

Breakwater is a structure that protects the shore and harbour from the full impact of waves.

Ocean Blue is confident of setting up ten marinas in the next five years — equally distributed among private players and those by maritime boards.

“These are mostly smaller marinas of the capacity of around 20 to 40 boats to start with. However, there would be an option to increase the capacity,” said Shroff.

Umaji Chowgule, of the Chowgule group, is also planning what’s perhaps the biggest marina at Goa with a capacity to hold 400 boats.

Work on the project is expected to start by the end of the current year, once all clearances are in place.

“Another reason why private players have failed is that any other infrastructure project- would need a couple of years before all clearances are in place. They simply don’t have the determination to handle this,” said Acquasail’s Kudrolli.

Aquasail, along with Walcon Marine are consultants for the Chowgule marina.

The Maharashtra Maritime Board had a few months back invited expressions of interest for developing marinas along the coastline of the state.

Sources said around 19 proposals have been received, but there’s been no progress since.