KOCHI: With the tourism sector in Kerala witnessing a surge, Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL) on Sunday signed an MoU with Muziris Heritage Project Limited. The MoU will allow tours in Kochi-Muziris heritage tourism circuit on CIAL’s solar boat.
The cruise will add a new mode of revenue stream for CIAL till the canal project is completed, officials said.
CIAL owns a 24-seater solar boat with an AC compartment for trial operation in the west coast canal renovated by its subsidiary, Kerala Waterways and Infrastructures Limited (KWIL).
CIAL decided to deploy its solar boat for cruise activity until the canal project is completed. As per the MoU signed by CIAL managing director S Suhas IAS and Muziris Heritage Project managing director PM Nowshad, the boat will be used for the circuit tours conducted by Musiris Heritage Project on a revenue-sharing basis.
Earlier this year, in February, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan inaugurated the first phase of the canal by taking a short cruise in this solar boat at the Veli-Kadinamkulam stretch of the canal in Thiruvananthpuram.
The boat has 15 solar panels mounted on its roof. The generated power is stored in the battery. It can also draw power from conventional sources and operated for five hours on a single charge. The boat is designed in such a way that it can cruise through a water body having a minimum depth of 45 cm.