India's first marina officially inaugurated

by Ocean Blue Marinas on 30 Apr 2010 The date of April 24, 2010 will go down as a red letter day in India’s fledgling leisure boating industry. Giving a new impetus to boating activity, India’s first world class marina, built at the Bolgatty Island in Kochi, was commissioned on April 24, 2010 at 6 pm by Union Defence Minister A. K. Antony.

In his inaugural address, Antony said that though the project was put in 'cold storage' for some time, it has been completed within two years on a 'war footing'.

The Kochi International Marina, with state-of-the-art facilities, is a Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) venture and is located on the eastern coast of Bolgatty Island in the Bolgatty Palace Heritage Hotel in Kochi.

Ocean Blue Marinas, the company behind this historic first international marina in India, has been involved in the design, advisory, planning and installation and now will also be the marina managers and service providers for the Kochi International Marina. Ocean Blue Marinas & Services will have a dedicated management team at the marina capable of servicing yachts, boats and catamarans as well as provide facilities for repairs and maintenance for local and visiting yachts.

Dr. Malav Shroff, CEO & Managing Director, Ocean Blue says “Ocean Blue Marinas is proud to be associated with the Kochi International Marina and look forward to building marine infrastructure along India’s vast untapped coastline. Boating is a growing industry, and India is now poised to grow abundantly in this sector.”

The marina plans are now open with berthing facilities for 37 yachts, which will be increased to 50 in the second phase. On the lines of international standard marinas, the Kochi International Marina will also provide essential services such as fuel, water, electricity and sewage pump-out for boats. International safety measures and standards have been followed for the construction and operation of the marina.

The Marina House, a part of this project, features 24 rooms including four suites, a health club, cafeteria and recreation facilities, as well as a golf course. A board walk protruding into the backwaters has been constructed in front of the Marina House to enable guests to walk around and take a look at the yachts.

Honorable Minster for Home, Vigilance & Tourism, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said the Marina has opened new doors to Indian tourism and would attract high sea travellers. During the last one year, 50 luxury yachts have touched Kochi.

The Kochi International Marina is at the ideal geographic location, situated on the south-western tip of India on the backwaters of the city of Kochi (formerly known as Cochin). It is near the international maritime route at the south west coast of the Indian Peninsula and enjoys the added advantage of favourable conditions and minimum tidal variations throughout the year.

The potential of this marina stems from the fact that even without any infrastructure, numerous luxury yachts call at Kochi every year, en route from the Gulf or West Asia regions to destinations in the Far East and vice versa. Also, it is located near the city of Kochi, Kerala, which is one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Kochi also has a world class natural Port and an International Airport and hence was the chosen port of call for the Volvo Ocean Race India Stopover in 2008-2009.

About Ocean Blue: Ocean Blue Marinas, a part of the Ocean Blue Group, is India's first world-class turnkey marina development company with an unrivalled range of capabilities, facilities and services, providing a depth and breadth unique to India's boating industry.

Ocean Blue, India’s only institutionalized boating group, is an end-to-end boating conglomerate with diverse interests around leisure boating activities ranging from infrastructure and manufacturing to services, charters, sales and marketing.

More at www.oceanblue.in