CHENNAI: Tourism Minister R Rajendran inaugurated the floating restaurant in the backwaters off Muttukadu Boat House on East Coast Road (ECR) on Tuesday. During trial runs recently it was found that the boat could not move past 1.5km from the dock during low tides.
An official source told TNIE that the tourism department is planning to operate it from Muttukadu to Mahabalipuram, and it will take at least two years to run the cruise after dredging the Buckingham canal. However, in the meantime, the floating restaurant will be open to the public. TNIE had recently reported that officials were planning to dredge the water body to enable cruising.
This is the first floating restaurant in Tamil Nadu. The Rs 5 crore project is being implemented through a public private partnership with the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation and Cochin based Grandeur Marine International, and has been ready since May 2024.
Named ‘Seanz Cruise’, the floating restaurant cruise is a double decker that is 125 feet long and 25 feet wide. The entire restaurant is air conditioned. The cruise has a dining capacity for 100. Upper floor will have an open air view for sunset. The cruise also has a buffet system serving dishes from Indian cuisine, but the menu may be modified to suit the needs of the international passengers, according to the officials.