Hyderabad: In the hope of swinging INS Viraat its way, the AP government has decided to study seven locations in and around the port city of Visakhapatnam for the possible location of the aircraft carrier after its formal decommissioning later this year.When chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu visited the port city in January this year to take part in the Partnership Summit, he had announced to the media that the Centre has agreed to station INS Viraat in Andhra Pradesh. However, it later turned out to be an oral assurance, with the NDA government yet to make a formal commitment. Other states such as Karnataka and Maharashtra are also seeking to berth the aircraft carrier in their territory.It is in this context that AP has gone into an overdrive to secure INS Viraat. Plans are afoot to convert the ship into a star hotel-cum-museum. It is also looking for a joint venture with the Indian Navy.A techno-feasibility study is to be taken up to zero in on the place where INS Viraat should be berthed after the decommissioning from the Navy. Earlier, the state government had decided to anchor the ship off Lawson's Bay beach."We have also suggested Sagarnagar beach, Dolphinarium, Thimmapuram and VUDA park," said RV Rama Rao, member of the expert committee. The government is also thinking of Rishikonda beach and Bheemili beach as possible choices.The government has also proposed to locate the ship on the high seas instead of bringing it to the coast. Despite the high maintenance cost, the offshore option has a huge potential for tourism.According to CRISIL, the project is viable under the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) mode, where all the project-related costs and risks will be borne by the private operator. The project estimation is made based on the assumption that the ship will be berthed one kilometre inside the sea. The government will need Rs 678 crore to execute the project.Vice-Admiral (Rtd) Satish Soni, former chief of the Eastern Naval Command, has reportedly suggested that the AP government should insist on a joint venture with the Navy. "We sought Soni's suggestion on the whole project recently. He is of the view that the Navy will extend financial and technical competence," said Neerabh Kumar Prasad, tourism principal secretary.