Wed Feb 19 16:01:50 UTC 2025: ## Stranded Ship Set for Visakhapatnam Tourist Makeover
**Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, February 19, 2025** – A Bangladeshi cargo ship, the MV Maa, which ran aground near Tenneti Park in Visakhapatnam in 2020, is slated for conversion into a tourist attraction. The ship, initially declared abandoned after a failed salvage attempt, is now undergoing maintenance at a cost of ₹5 lakh per month, according to ship owner Surender Singh Gill of Shore & Ship Resorts Private Limited.
While the ship is not yet open to the public, Gill confirmed that plans are underway to transform the MV Maa into a “Shore and Ship resort.” He stated that the project will not require any construction and thus should not violate Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) guidelines, a point he says he’s made clear to government officials.
The Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is working on securing the necessary permissions from the Forest Department and the A.P. Coastal Zone Management Authority (CZMA) for infrastructure development, including an access road, toilets, and changing rooms. Forest Department approval has been obtained, but CZMA permission is still pending. APTDC Special Chief Secretary Ajay Jain expects the project to launch within the next two months.
The APTDC acquired the ship from Gill Marines in 2021 for ₹4.50 crore after the insurers declared it a wreck. The original plan, conceived by the then YSRCP government, was to develop it as a floating restaurant.
First Piper 