MUMBAI: Over a month after the Centre green-lit an ₹887-crore plan to develop a marina for private yachts at Cross Island, off the Gateway of India, the Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA), which will invest around ₹470 crore on core marina infrastructure, received bids from five companies, including the Adani Group-owned Cemindia Projects Ltd, and Larsen & Toubro on Tuesday.
Alongside, in order to make the project lucrative for the company implementing it, MbPA has decided to include a five-star hotel with 322 rooms, a club, a tourist centre and a sailing school.
The Adani Group is a major player in the shipping industry.
Confirming the development, MbPA chairman M Angamuthu said, “We had floated a global bidding for the marina project in 2025. Five firms have placed bids to construct the marina along the Mumbai harbour -- Cemindia Projects Ltd, Larsen & Toubro, RKEC Projects, SCC Infrastructure and Vishwa Samudra Engineering Pvt Ltd.”
Insiders in the state government said that the project had received a nod from the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) before the model code of conduct was imposed for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.
The MbPA has had the plan for a marina on a PPP basis for two decades, which took off only recently. The plan was to have a composite development of the 2,333 acres under MbPA, which both the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance and Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance governments were keen on. But the present regime in MbPA wanted a piecemeal development and floated an expression of interest to develop 33 properties on its land.
The main objective of the project is to offer a safe and easily accessible facility for yacht owners to dock and store their vessels. The marina will be equipped with key services, including yacht maintenance, fuel supply, access to various amenities, and protection against harsh weather conditions. Onshore facilities of the project are proposed to be developed on a 4.2 hectare land parcel available on the Victoria dock. There will be parking space for 780 cars in a proposed multi-level car park, along with a business centre whose first six storeys will be dedicated for parking.
World class hospitality will be rolled out to woo tourists; the amenities will include the terminal building, marina club house, restaurants, apart from a starred hotel. Ticketing facilities; visa, immigration and security checks; while the customs department and cafeteria will be housed in the terminal building, according to the minutes of the meeting among officers at MCZMA.