SMPK to Transform Historic Pilot Boats into Floating Cultural Venues on Hooghly

To boost heritage tourism along Hooghly river, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata (SMPK) is inviting proposals to repurpose three of its historic pilot launches— P.L. Rupsa, P.L. Hooghly and P.L. Gopal— into dynamic floating venues for hospitality, culture, and leisure business.

These boats date back to the late 1990s and were originally used to help ships navigate Hooghly River. Built in 1997, the P.L. Rupsa and P.L. Hooghly feature sturdy steel hulls and spacious dimensions of 32.90 meters in length, 6 meters in breadth and 3.80 meters in depth.

Each vessel has a gross registered tonnage of 105 tons and provides between 1,000 and 2,000 square feet of usable space, making them ideal for hosting 50 to 100 guests. The P.L. Gopal, on the other hand, was built in 1994 with a fiberglass-reinforced plastic hull, measures 19 meters in length and can accommodate 30 to 50 people within an 800 to 1,000 square feet usable area. Each of these vessels holds significant potential to be transformed into attractive, revenue-generating assets.

Inspired by successful initiatives like P. S. Bhopal, a British era paddle steamer that was renamed as ‘Bengal Paddle’ in 2022 and has since been operated for events and heritage tour, SMPK aims to re-imagine these vessels. Potential conversions include floating cafés, heritage cruises, mobile museums, wedding venues and performance spaces.

SMPK spokesperson Sanjoy Kumar Mukherjee said, “SMPK is actively seeking participation from a diverse group of stakeholders for this exciting initiative. It is encouraging proposals from tourism and river cruise operators, hospitality and event management companies, restaurant and café chains, heritage conservation bodies, as well as joint ventures and consortiums. The focus is on developing concepts for multi-cuisine restaurants, themed dining experiences, and cultural spaces that will celebrate the rich history and vibrant contemporary culture of Bengal.”

He added, “This presents a unique opportunity for businesses and organizations across various sectors to contribute to and benefit from the enhancement of the region's cultural and tourism landscape. To facilitate the transformation of these heritage vessels, SMPK is offering free berthing at the Kolkata Dock System for necessary repairs and retrofitting along with complimentary jetty space for embarking and disembarking passengers and operational staff during service.”