MUMBAI: A floating hotel anchored near the sea link started sinking on Friday after its hull hit a rock during low tide. Fifteen crew members were aboard when the incident occurred between 1.30pm and 2pm. All were rescued.
The private vessel, ARK Deck Bar, used to offer a spectacular view of the sea link. It was shut on Thursday ahead of the monsoon and was to be back in operation in October.
The ship was 300-400 metres from the shore when the incident occurred. "The crew found a leak and tried to plug it. Within hours, the boat had begun sinking. The last crew member left the ship at 6.30pm. Local boats sailed to the spot to rescue ARK's crew. These boats remained there for four hours," said an officer from
Bandra police station.
Divers are set to carry out repairs to the ship and will enter it on Saturday morning depending on the vessel's state and sea conditions. The ship, spread over three levels with an open air bar deck, a lounge, private dining areas and three suites, has a license from the
Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and started operations last October.
MMB CEO
Vikram Kumar said, "There are a total of three floating restaurants in Mumbai, of which two are docked at the
Mumbai Port Trust's harbor. They finished their season and docked for the monsoon. The third, which met with an accident, was about to sail away for docking." tnn
The ship was 300-400 metres from the shore when the incident occurred