India’s first marina at the Bolgatty Island in Kochi will be  inaugurate the  KTDC’s “Kochi International Marina” which is scheduled to take place on April 24, 2010 at 6 pm. The marina will be inaugurated by India’s Honorable Union Minister for Defence, Mr. A. K. Antony, and Honorable Minster for Home, Vigilance and Tourism, Mr. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan who will be presiding over the function. This marina project, 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.

The marina plans will be open from April 24, 2010 onwards. Initially, the marina will have 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 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.

The marina is close to the international maritime route at the south west coast of the Indian Peninsula, with favourable conditions and minimum tidal variations throughout the year. 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. Ocean Blue Marinas have 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.