Why foreign luxury yachts have abandoned Kochi Marina

Kochi: Once hailed as India’s window to the world of luxury yachting, the Kochi International Marina at Bolgatty Island now sits in silence, its promise dulled by years of neglect. Wooden planks have rotted on the floating jetty, rust eats away at the supporting pillars, and the water that once welcomed dozens of foreign yachts has grown shallow with accumulated silt and covered with water hyacinth. At present, just three yachts are berthed there, two of them foreign, a far cry from the days when nearly thirty vessels used to line up simultaneously at its moorings. 

Now, after years of drift, the marina has finally been thrown a lifeline. In June, the tourism department sanctioned ₹2.5 crore for its renovation, with the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) tasked with executing the project. The order, issued by the Additional Secretary of the Tourism department, broadly calls for civil works to give a complete makeover to the facility. 

According to a senior KTDC official, the plans are ambitious. “The entire floating jetty will be revamped, with the decayed wooden planks replaced by durable fibre flooring. Dredging will be carried out to increase depth, and broken water and electricity supply boxes will be repaired. The corroded pillars that hold the floating jetty, now weakened and covered in barnacles, will be restored, and CCTV cameras will be installed to strengthen surveillance and safety for visiting yachts. These are the actions we have planned,” the official said. 

The move comes in the wake of the government’s prestigious seaplane project, which is anchored at the Bolgatty waterfront. Officials have pitched the marina as a natural complement to this high-profile venture, offering tourists an integrated experience of backwaters, aviation and luxury sailing. The order had set a three-month deadline for completion. Yet, more than three months later, not even the tendering process has begun. KTDC now says tenders will be floated soon and the renovation will be completed by June 2026. 

The marina’s decline has been gradual. When it was inaugurated in 2010, it was celebrated as the country’s only international marina with space to berth 34 yachts. Its location was considered perfect, lying close to major maritime routes, in a place with little tidal variation and set against the scenic backdrop of Kochi backwaters. In its early years, the facility attracted a steady stream of yachts from Europe, North America and Asia. For a time, Kochi was firmly on the global sailing map. 

But poor upkeep slowly chipped away at its reputation. The jetty flooring loosened and rotted, making it difficult for the sailors to walk.  Silt piled up in the waters, and basic facilities like power and sewage systems stopped working. Visiting sailors began to complain, and many chose to skip Kochi altogether. Plans for renovation came up more than once, even with offers of tie-ups with state-run companies, but they collapsed due to lack of funds and will. While other tourism projects moved ahead, the marina was left to decay. 

For KTDC, the stakes are high this time. “Being the only international marina in India, Kochi has huge potential for tourism,” an official at Bolgatty said. “But the delay in upkeep has been a major setback. Over the years, the number of foreign yachts arriving here has dropped sharply. We hope once the maintenance is completed, more yachters will come.” 

If the sanctioned works are carried out at the earliest, the marina could yet reclaim some of its lost glory. Its integration with the seaplane project gives it a renewed relevance, and the global sailing community still regards Kochi as a convenient stopover on the Indian Ocean circuit. But the gap between paper promises and on-ground delivery remains the real test. Unless tendering is fast-tracked and a proper system for regular maintenance is put in place, the marina risks slipping back into the same cycle of decay. For now, the marina remains a rusting, barnacle-crusted reminder of unfulfilled potential, waiting to see if this new push can steer it back into safe waters.