5, opposite the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, is straining the finances of yacht owners. MUMBAI: The closure of Jetty No.
After the Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) declared it “structurally unsafe and dangerous for use” in August and put an iron gate restricting access to it, operators and their guests have been compelled to access their boats through a privately managed floating pontoon, paying ₹ 92 per person per day to the Royal Bombay Yacht Club (RBYC).
Customers who are already paying for the boat ask why they should pay extra just to access it. He pointed out that the floating pontoon and its access ladder had themselves been installed on the same structure declared unsafe by the authority. This is taking a toll on the business. “If it is structurally unsafe, authorities should immediately work to make it safe instead of keeping it shut indefinitely. MbPA’s PRO did not respond to HT’s texts or calls to seek a comment on the issue.
Ritesh Kank, has been in the business since 2013, manages five boats and hires additional ones when required. He said: “We earn around ₹ 3,000-4,000 per slot (trip). Now, we end up paying ₹ 500-600 every time we access the pontoon. Siddhesh Warang, founder of Dreams Sailing Club, who owns five boats and has been sailing and using the jetty for over 25 years, questioned the safety rationale. In his case, this includes around 12 employees. He pointed out that access to the other five jetties costs ₹ 5 and alleged discrimination against private yacht owners. He pointed out that MbPA had carried out repairs at other jetties in March 2025, but had neither audited nor repaired Jetty No. 5.
Because they will question the unexpected price rise, “I am paying for all my guests and employees.
With the sailing season picking up after Navratri, he said operators expected around five passengers per yacht, apart from employees. We are made to pay just to access our own yachts,” he said. Prashant Jadhav, owner of Yacht Getaway Mumbai, said operators were not receiving corresponding safety arrangements or facilities, despite the charges for safety. Chetan Rane, joint secretary of the Yacht Operators Welfare Association (YOWA), said that even if the authority’s structural-safety claim was accepted, it had failed to undertake timely repairs. We do not believe it is structurally unsafe,” said Rane. RBYC functionaries told HT that the decision to shut the jetty and introduce charges had been taken by the MbPA, declining further comment.
He also questioned the safety of the alternative pontoon, saying its ladder had broken on an earlier occasion.
