No room for INS Viraat, says VPT

Hyderabad: The AP government may have to scout for a suitable place to anchor the Indian naval warship, INS Viraat, as the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) has made it clear that it has no space to accommodate the giant vessel after its decommissioning later this year.
The AP government has pinned hopes on the INS Viraat after chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu received oral assurance earlier this year that the warship will be handed over to Andhra Pradesh for location at Visakhapatnam.The warship is due for decommissioning soon, but the Central government is yet to make up its mind as to which state it should hand over the ship. In fact, the AP government recently wrote a letter to the Central government urging it not to decommission the ship until it makes a formal announcement on its location at Visakhapatnam. Apart from AP, Goa has shown keen interest in INS Viraat.
The Ministry of Shipping (Ports Wing) in its letter dated June 6, 2016 stated that the Visakhapatnam Port Trust has "no space to accommodate INS Viraat on the port premises". The ministry, however, said the VPT is ready to extend all possible technical assistance to the AP government.
The shipping ministry wrote the letter in response to a mail sent by Veeranjaneyulu Jasti, national secretary of All-India Panchayat Parishad. Veeranjaneyulu has been supporting the demand that INS Viraat should be located at Visakhapatnam.
"A meeting under the chairmanship of principal secretary, AP government, was held on February 25 wherein the Visakhapatnam district collector was requested to identify a suitable location for berthing of INS Viraat," Rameshwar Kumar, under-secretary, ministry of shipping, said in the letter.
With the Central government washing its hands off the INS Viraat insofar as its location is concerned, the ball is now in the AP's court to scout for a suitable place to berth the ship once it is decommissioned. The AP government has proposed to convert the ship into a star hotel and floating museum to attract tourists from across the world.
Meanwhile, district administration official said, "As per our preliminary report forwarded to government, four locations have been identified with top priority being the Vuda Park. The second priority is for Lawsons Bay Park. This has been taken into consideration based on the opinion from experts and other stakeholders as it close to beach and also large number of people visit this area."
INS Viraat entered into service with the Indian Navy in May 1987 and its decommissioning later this year is expected to take place either in Kochi, Mumbai or Gujarat. However, former navy chief RK Dhowan had said in April that the actual date of decommissioning of the aircraft carrier was yet to be decided.
With an overall length of 227 metres, breadth of 46 metres and displacement of 29000 tonnes, the ship is capable of carrying 30 aircraft in various configurations. INS Viraat is a conventional steam propelled ship and routinely operates at sea for durations upwards of three months at a time, while sustaining speeds up to 28 knots. The ship has a complement of 150 officers and 1500 sailors complete with attendant logistics infrastructure. The INS Viraat had participated in the International Fleet Review (IFR) in Vizag in February earlier this year.