Shipyard delivers two ro-ro vessels to IWAI

PM Comissoned two RO-RO vessels

Cochin Shipyard delivered two roll-on roll-off vessels to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI). The delivery protocol was signed by Mathew George, director, IWAI Kochi, and Suresh Babu N.V., director (operations), CSL, in the presence of the officials of IWAI and CSL, said a press release here.

This means: “convenience up, commerce up and capacity building up, while resulting in congestion down, pollution down and transport costs down,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, after commissioning the vessels here on Sunday.

Dedicated facility
CSL has invested its resources in the inland water segment, including the development of a dedicated shipbuilding facility in Kolkotta, with the aim of providing a complete solution to the customers operating in the inland water segment.

The IWAI has handed them over to city-based Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) for operation. Each of the vessels — christened MV Adi Shankara and MV CV Raman — has a capacity to carry six 20-feet trucks, three 20-feet trailer trucks, three 40-feet trailer trucks and 30 passengers. Container lorries from southern districts now travel over 30 km through the NH bypass and other congested city roads to reach International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Vallarpadam, worsening traffic congestion, pollution and causing accidents, while also affecting optimal fleet utility of lorries due to time that is lost in the process. This also increased their operational expense.

With the commencement of the ro-ro service, container lorries can be carried onboard these vessels from the Willingdon Island jetty and ferried to the Bolgatty Island, from where they can access ICTT, Vallarpadam by road.

Similarly, outward loaded/empty vehicles from ICTT can avail of the return service, for onward road movement, reducing the distance to 3.5 km — a tenth of the road distance. The turnaround time too will be reduced to approximately one hour, as compared to much more if the lorries were to take the road route, ushering in optimal utility of lorry fleet.