The Visakhapatnam port is planning to set up a museum on the maritime history of the region on the premises of the old lighthouse which was renovated and thrown open to the public in June last year, according to port chairman MT Krishna Babu.

He said here on Sunday that the old lighthouse was the original landmark of the Visakhapatnam port. “We are exploring the possibility of making it a repository of information on the port and its evolution,” he said.

He said Visakhapatnam had a rich history of maritime trade and it had trade relations with the Middle-East and Rome in ancient times. In the modern times the commercial port was officially opened in December 1933, paving the way for the growth of Visakhapatnam as a port city.

The port has strategic importance in India’s Look East policy and it would be appropriate that the centre of dissemination of information on the rich maritime legacy of the country be set up here, he said.

The old lighthouse was a transit line lighthouse, established in 1903, to help guide the ships into the natural harbour of Visakhapatnam. The dome and lantern of the lighthouse were from the Chintapalli lighthouse near Bheemunipatnam. During World War II there were two anti-aircraft guns set up next to the lighthouse. The lighthouse went into disuse in 1962.

With the support of the VPT, Krishna B Kotak, chairman of Visakha Container Terminal and JM Baxi Group of Companies, made use of the services of conservation architect Vikas Dilawari to restore the structure. After its restoration in June 2015, the Eastern Naval Command contributed the dummied anti-aircraft gun.

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