Thiruvananthapuram, Sept 17 (PTI) Leveraging Keralam’s 2,000-year maritime legacy and marine biodiversity, the state government is planning an International Maritime Museum and Oceanarium.
It will be developed as a single integrated institution with a unified governance and operating structure. The project aims to be a financially sustainable visitor attraction.
The proposal to develop the Museum and Oceanarium as one institution rather than two separate facilities was discussed at a three-day Round Table Conference on flagship developmental and transformational projects that began here on Wednesday.
The session on the International Maritime Museum and Oceanarium examined the financial, operational and governance aspects of the proposed project, according to a statement on Thursday.
Under the proposed model, a single Special Purpose Vehicle, structured as a not-for-profit company, would own and operate both facilities under a single Board chaired by the CM, supported by an Advisory Council and a common visitor brand.
The integrated approach is expected to create operational synergies, with the revenue-generating potential of the Oceanarium helping support the Museum’s heritage and curatorial functions.
The model would reduce the need for the state to provide perpetual financial support to two separate institutions, the statement said.
Chief Minister V D Satheesan described the proposed Oceanarium as a “dream project” and stressed the need to finalise its economic model and prepare a Detailed Project Report covering the requirements of the integrated project.
He highlighted the potential of Keralam’s large Malayali diaspora and private investment to contribute to a financially sustainable model whose value could grow significantly over the long term.
He emphasised that the government would play a catalytic role in taking forward the Oceanarium and Maritime Museum, with the latest technologies and international practices incorporated into their design and operations.
Keralam’s maritime history, spanning nearly two millennia, provides the foundation for the proposed institution. The narrative encompasses the ancient port of Muziris, the Quilon trade route, Beypore’s traditional Uru-building craft and the modern deep-water port at Vizhinjam, the statement said.
The State Budget had allocated funds for an International Maritime Museum, following which the government directed that the feasibility of developing an Oceanarium alongside it on the same waterfront also be examined.
The session was attended by senior officials of the Ports Department and State Department of Archaeology, the Directorate of Museums and Zoos, the Archaeological Survey of India, policy research institutions, national and international experts, academic and research institutions, government institutions, industry and associations.
Concluding the session, Co-Chair Rathan U Kelkar, Secretary, Ports, said Geromic George, IAS, had been appointed as Special Officer for the project.
“We will bring together all relevant stakeholders and seek their inputs to take the project forward and make this dream a reality,” he said.
The Round Table Conferences are aimed at bringing together experts, investors, development partners, industry, academic institutions, the start-up community, public sector undertakings and the Non-Resident Keralite community to translate flagship project ideas into implementable roadmaps, the statement added. PTI LGK SSK
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