A passenger/general cargoship formerly owned by Japanese liner operator Ogasawara Kaiun has put in a surprise appearance at Mumbai’s port, having undergone a major refurbishment to become a full cruiseship called the Angriya.

The surprise came as the company had reportedly sold the 6,700-gt Ogasawara Maru (built 1997) for recycling in November 2016, and the vessel had arrived off Alang shortly after under a shortened name, the Ogasa.

However, it has now emerged that the ship was never beached, being sold at the 11th hour to newly formed Indian cruise operator Angriya Sea Eagle Cruises.

The company subsequently moved the vessel to West India Shipyard in Mormugao, where it was extensively refitted into a cruiseship capable of accommodating 400 passengers.

The transfer of ownership of the vessel to Angriya Sea Eagle Cruises has been confirmed by the IHS maritime portal Sea-Web, which indicates that the ship is now flying the Indian flag.

TradeWinds’ calls to Angriya Sea Eagle for comment went unanswered this week.

Mumbai to Goa

However, market observers say that the Indian start-up intends to use the ship to launch a domestic cruise operation from Mumbai to the resort areas of Goa.

While the ship is described as being ready for action, with most government permits and approvals secured, it is expected only to enter service later this year once the monsoon season ends in September.

Angriya Sea Eagle is the second attempt by Indian interests to launch a cruise venture in recent times.

In 2012, Chennai-based AMET Trust attempted to launch a domestic cruise service using the 16,600-gt Amet Majesty (built 1975), a converted cruise-ferry, but the venture collapsed within months and the ship was sold to recyclers in Alang.

Source market

International cruise industry executives describe India as a strong and growing source market for cruise passengers, especially for ships operating in South East Asian waters.

However, despite India offering picturesque islands and interesting destinations along its coast, few international cruise operators have been brave enough to tackle the country’s notorious bureaucracy and base ships at its ports. At present, only Carnival Corp’s Costa brand bases one of its smaller ships in Mumbai on a seasonal basis for cruises that terminate in the Maldives.