: The Visakhapatnam Port Trust is planning to establish a museum on maritime history of the region and the Port on the premises of the Old Lighthouse which was renovated and restored to its original glory sans a working lantern was thrown open to the public June last year.
“The iconic lighthouse was the original landmark of the Visakhapatnam Port and we have been exploring the possibility of making it a repository of information on the port and its evolution,” VPT Chairman MT Krishna Babu told The Hindu .
“Visakhapatnam has a rich history of maritime trade and had trade relations with the Middle East and Rome. In the modern times, the commercial port was officially opened to oceanic traffic in December 1933. We have been feeling the need for setting up a museum to help educate the people on the rich maritime history of the city and create a repository for some of the iconic artefacts of the region,” the port Chairman said.
Strategic importance
The Visakhapatnam Port has strategic importance in the India’s Look East and Act East Policy and it would be appropriate that the centre of dissemination of information on the rich maritime legacy of the country be hosted here, he felt.
The iconic Old Lighthouse was a transit line lighthouse, established in 1903, to help guide the ships into one of the safest natural harbours in the world – the Visakhapatnam harbour. The dome and lantern of the lighthouse were from the Chintapalli lighthouse near Bheemunipatnam. During World War II there were two anti-aircraft guns set up next to the lighthouse. The lighthouse went into disuse in 1962.
With the support of the VPT, ardent restorationist Krishna B Kotak, chairman of Visakha Container Terminal and JM Baxi Group of Companies, brought onboard Mumbai’s conservation architect Vikas Dilawari to restore the structure. After its restoration in June 2015, the Eastern Naval Command contributed dummied anti-aircraft gun.
Addition of a museum dedicated to the rich history of maritime trade of the region would make it a must-see destination for visitors as well as residents, the port Chairman hoped.
