KOCHI: In a development expected to free up the city roads by easing traffic, Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) on Monday launched the service of its second Ro-Ro (roll on, roll off) vessel, which will facilitate transport of containers from Bolgatty to Willingdon Island.
The KSINC had launched the first vessel six months ago. With the second Ro-Ro vessel now commencing service, KSINC can transport over 300 containers daily.
Though the service is chiefly aimed at transporting trailers, KSINC is ferrying other vehicles too.
The road distance from Bolgatty to Vallarpadam Terminal is about 16 km while it is a mere 3.5 km by water on the Ro-Ro. This will allow the container trucks and trailers to avoid the city roads, thereby decongesting them and bringing down pollution levels. The Ro-Ro service, which had been suspended for four years, resumed in January.
Due to the vaulting fuel prices, many container drivers are now availing themselves of the Ro-Ro service. The vessels are 56 m long and 13.50 m wide and are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and can carry vehicles weighing up to 375 tonnes M V Adisankara and M V Raman, the 56 metre-long Ro-Ro vessels, were built by the Cochin Shipyard Limited(CSL) at a cost of Rs 15 crore.
to start its second vessel after the launch of its first vessel. With the new service put into operation, KSINC can transport over 300 containers each day.Though the service has started focusing on transporting trailers, the agency is also letting other vehicles. M V Adisankara and M V Raman, the 56-metre-long ro-ro vessels built by CSL for Rs 15 crore, are ready for service.
The journey from Bolgatti to Vallarpadam Terminal is about 16 km by road and 3.5 km by water on the Ro-Ro. This will avoid the traffic of container vehicles through the city and reduce the existing traffic congestion and pollution. The Ro-Ro service, which had been suspended for four years, resumed in January. Due to the increase in fuel prices, many container drivers are now availing of the Ro-Ro service. The vessels are 56 meters long and 13.50 meters wide and are equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.