Faced with worsening traffic snarls at Vyttila due to flyover construction works, efforts are under way to reintroduce the roll-on roll-off (RoRo) vessel that can carry 20 container-laden lorries at a time between Willingdon Island and Mulavukad by March.
Cargo terminals
In a related development, the Inland Waterway Authority of India (IWAI) took a decision on Saturday (February 24) to hand over its cargo terminals on either end to the Cochin Port Trust for a two-year period, for a nominal amount.
“The Authority has also decided to place orders for two RoRo vessels to operate in the corridor, for which Central sanction is awaited,” said Neelakandan Unni, Chief Engineer of IWAI.
The RoRo vessel that is set to be reintroduced, this time by Cochin Steamer Agents’ Association (CSAA), can operate 20 return trips daily, keeping away 800 container lorries from the Kundannoor-Edappally NH Bypass and the Edappally-Kalamassery NH corridor. The vessel was withdrawn from service a year ago following a dispute between the Cochin Port Trust and the vessel’s operator over security deposit.
“Dredging in Willingdon Island, Mulavukad and at an area near High Court Jetty will be completed by mid-March, to ensure uniform two-metre width in the channel. The two RoRo vessels that IWAI will introduce by 2020 will further decongest highways in the region,” said Mr. Unni.
Depth of channel
CSAA president Prakash Iyer was sceptical of the RoRo vessel resuming service if the channel’s depth is confined to two metres. “A fully-loaded vessel needs minimum 2.5 m depth, since the cargo alone would weight approximately 800 tonnes. We demanded deepening of the channel in January and the IWAI should have completed the work by now.”
The smooth movement of exim and coastal trade, especially seafood, in southern Kerala urgently needs speedy resumption of the RoRo service. The stalling of RoRo service for a year has even hit the port’s container freight station (CFS). Any further delay will hit Kochi’s international competitiveness. The port too must advise us on when to begin the RoRo service, said Mr. Iyer, a member of the Kerala Maritime Board.
With traffic snarls chocking Vyttila, container-laden lorries from Willingdon Island now take the circuitous route through the Seaport-Airport Road to reach the Vallarpadam transshipment terminal, travelling around 40 km. “This is worsening traffic snarls and pollution along the way, while also causing wastage of time and increasing operational cost per trip by ₹2,000,” he added.
A Port official assured all help for speedy resumption of the RoRo service.
