At the centre of India’s waterfront development, Devika Saigal Kapoor is dedicated to redefining waterfront spaces and setting new benchmarks in the hospitality and travel industry. She is changing the way Mumbai travels through the waterways. With her grandfather being a part of the merchant navy, it is safe to say that the maritime industry is not only her passion but also runs in her blood.

With a Masters in International Management from the UK and over a decade of experience in marketing and project management, Devika is committed to bringing world-class experiences to the city of Mumbai. As the CEO of M2M Ferries and Mandwa Jetty, Devika has paved her own way in a predominantly male-driven water transport industry.

How did your journey begin?

After returning from my postgraduate from University of Bath, UK and working in the marketing space, I realized that I wanted to bring back the culture of waterfronts and piers to India. Our country has a vast coastline but the culture of piers and waterfront development for leisure was completely missing and what better place to begin with then my city Mumbai. The idea began with developing the waterfront port of Mandwa (located 10 nautical miles from Mumbai) and bringing here the 1^st waterfront restaurant Boardwalk by Flamboyante in 2016 and by adding other recreational activities like an open air amphitheatre, retail stores and a number of other leisure activities. The footfall count grew from 2000 people daily to 10000 people and on peak days we have also seen over 40000 people at this pier.

This made us realize that there is a demand for waterfront and ports and if we create the right infrastructure and offering we will have people who would like to explore the coastline. We then went on to create the 1^stRopax service for our state and this would make the region of Raigad, the pristine beaches of Alibag and Kashid, the famous fort of Murud closer and more accessible to the city of Mumbai. Earlier Mandwa which was accessible only 8 months in the year would now be accessible for 12 months in the year by sea. The Ropax service helped reduce the 4 hours journey by road to 1 hour journey by sea.

From where was the vessel procured and how long was the entire process?

The vessel was a brand new built ship (September 2019) from Greece. After exploring over 100 vessels we narrowed down to the selection of this particular ship in 2019 and the Red Lady made her passage from Greece and arrived in Mumbai on 14^th of February on Valentines day. The ship can carry 500 passengers and 150 vehicles ranging from buses, cars, bikes and we even welcome pets!

What were the challenges that you faced in the initial phase?

There were a number of technical challenges faced. We had challenges of anchoring her in Mandwa and the continuous dredging to be done by the government. The government has been supportive to make sure we have 24×7 and uninterrupted service 365 days of the year. We are a passenger convenience service and we want to make sure we deliver the best.

The fact that she is a Greek vessel made for the inter island ferries in Greece and we brought her to use in our route (Mumbai – Mandwa).This has helped us deliver a world class service and give people an international experience at nominal rates.

When was the first service launched? and how many passengers did you carry that day?

Our service was started in the beginning of the pandemic and at that time it was extremely stressful as people stopped venturing out as a result we had to be shut for 6 months straight. We then resumed in August 2020 keeping with covid restrictions and guidelines.

How many passengers / vehicles do you ferry on a daily basis?

We have successfully carried over 1 million passengers and 100000 vehicles. This is a big milestone for us and we want to continue to deliver the best there is in water transport.

What was your aim or motto in mind while starting this service?

World over the Ropax industry is present since decades and took our country a while to enter in. Inspite of that we want to make sure we give the best that is there to offer. The service is here to decongest the roads, to reduce the travel time, and a more environment conscious mode of travel as helps reduce the co2 emissions. We are here to offer the cruise experience at Rs 400 per head and want everyone to come explore the beauty of Mumbai Harbour and the pristine beaches of Alibaug.

How has the response been during the monsoon season?

The region of Raigad which was earlier cut off during the monsoon now makes the place much more accessible. It helps bridge the gap for medical support, better access to education, moreover people can now live in Alibaug and travel to Mumbai for work.

We have customers who lived in the suburbs and would travel to South Mumbai by road daily to work, this would take them 1.40 minutes of commute each way. They have now moved base to Alibaug and can now come to Mumbai to work by sea, its literally like no traffic jams at sea!

How are the tickets priced during monsoon and pre-monsoon? and what all are the offerings on -board?

Passenger Ticket prices start at Rs 400 onboard. We have 3 seating categories to offer and each have a distinctive offering. The Kushaq lounge has Meemos café and a relaxed lounge style seating. The Octavia deck has Starboard bar and more fun vibes to it. The Superb lounge which is our most premium seating category is very exclusive and is priced at Rs 1500 per head. The pricing of the vehicle starts at Rs 1020 depends on the size of the vehicle. We even welcome bikes at Rs 210 and pets at Rs 310.

What are the future plans and expected updates for the customer to look forward to?

We are not only focused on building the Ropax service but are also focused on building the destination. We have recently launched the top 25 things to do at Mandwa Port and top 10 things to do in Alibaug during the monsoons. We have also launched Fountain Sizzlers (a very popular sizzler joint in Mumbai) now at Mandwa Port and this is line with our vision of building the destination and creating a variety of offerings at the waterfront Pier. In the coming year we want to add many more offerings to build this as a destination for all age groups.