KOCHI: As part of strengthening the water transport network of the islanders, the Kochi Corporation, on Wednesday has rolled out a new double-ended Roll-on Roll-off (Ro-Ro)vessel on the Vypeen-Fort Kochi ferry route. Mayor Soumini Jain launched the service at Cochin Shipyard, where the vessel was constructed.
It was almost two years ago that the Corporation placed an order for making two Ro-Ro vessels with the Shipyard. The estimated cost for each vessel is Rs 3.8 crore. The second vehicle will also be rolled out soon, according to the Corporation officials. The vessels are being rolled out with the financial support of Kerala Urban and Rural Development Finance Corporation (KURDFC).
The Corporation decided to replace the existing ferry with the new one as the old vessel was single ended with engine and propulsion in the daft end and ramp in the forward end. Normally all four wheelers have to parked in the reverse order onboard the ferry so that it is easy to disembark at the destination jetty.
Reverse parking of vehicles consumes considerable time resulting in long queue of vehicles during peak hours. As a solution to this, the Ro-Ro vessel- a double-ended ferry with propulsors and ramps at both ends of the vessel was proposed. According to technical experts, the new ferry will help the vehicles to move in one direction thereby reducing the time taken for embarking or disembarking vehicles and also avoid turning of the vessel while leaving the jetty.
The vessel is designed with Azimuth Propulsion system, fitted at both ends. “This enables the vessel to be operated without having to turn around at the jetty during cast off,” experts added. The ferry can attain a speed of up to eight knots and take around three minutes to cross the 600-metre distance between the two stations.
The new vessel is constructed as per the specifications stipulated by the Indian Register of Shipping. The introduction of the ferries is expected to help in easy transport of vehicles between the two boat jetties and also save time and energy.