A paddle steamer built in 1944 has been renovated and will ply on the Hooghly soon. PS Bhopal has been renovated in a private shipyard by Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT), which will use the vessel for heritage voyages.
The steamer — 63m in length and 9.2m in breadth — was built in the UK’s Dumbarton Shipyard and dispatched to India to join a flotilla of steamers that plied in the rivers of then undivided Bengal, said officials of the port trust.
Later, it was used as a training vessel and a museum by the port trust. It had been lying as a condemned vessel since the early-2000s.
In 2019, KoPT officials decided to renovate and use it for heritage tours. The port trust is planning to inaugurate the refurbished vessel early next month, KoPT chairman Vinit Kumar said.
“It took about Rs 6 crore to overhaul the steamer. We have leased it out to a private agency for 25 years. The agency will operate the steamer for commercial purposes but KoPT will use it four times a month for heritage tours,” said Sanjay Kumar Mukherjee, spokesperson for KoPT.
Officials said the renovation had been delayed because of Covid.
In the early 19th century, paddle wheels were the predominant way of propulsion for steam-powered boats.
In the late 19th century, paddle propulsion was largely replaced by the screw propeller and other marine propulsion systems with higher efficiency.
Paddle wheels continue to be used by small, pedal-powered boats and by some ships that operate tourist voyages.
Paddle steamers were operational in Bengal during the British era, when they were used to tow cargo ships.
“They are still in use in Bangladesh,” said Gautam Chakravarti, a heritage consultant to KoPT. The renovated steamer will be decked out with artefacts and memorabilia narrating its history.
“PS Bhopal will accommodate more tourists than the present vehicles being used. It will have a dining space and will house a museum, too,” said Chakrabarti.
“Tours on the renovated steamer will commence shortly.” The vessel will also have an auditorium and a gallery with port-related artefacts.
Chakrabarti said PS Bhopal would replace Sea Land, which can only accommodate 25 people and have limitations sailing in high tide.
