The nine catamaran-type boats and solar-powered hybrid ferry that the State Water Transport Department (SWTD) is planning to operate on the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route are expected to bring in a refreshing change in the State’s water-transport sector.
The department has for long been blamed for operating rickety and ill-maintained steel and wooden ferries. Even new steel boats operated by the department lack quality, while painting, fit and finish leave much to be desired.
Shaji V. Nair, SWTD Director, said the Rs 1.70-crore solar boat being built at a private boatyard would be operational by May.
“The hull is ready, while its batteries, propulsion system, etc., have been dispatched from France.
The nine catamaran-type ferries that can carry up to 120 people will be among the 14 boats that we intend to purchase to replace our wooden boats. A sum of Rs. 20 crore has been earmarked in the State budget for this,” he said.
The first of these ferries will begin operating between Ernakulam and Vaikom on November 1, while the department has placed an order for the second vessel to operate on the Kumarakom-Alappuzha-Kottayam route.
Speed
These ferries made of fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) can travel at a speed of 12 knot (22 km per hour), which is double the speed of steel and wooden boats the SWTD operates. They cost is around Rs.1.50 crore per piece.
Reacting to technical viability and safety concerns raised by a naval architect about the solar ferry, Mr Nair said a detailed study was done by a technical committee which comprised naval architects and experts from IITs.
“They found the initiative practicable since the modern boat would be non-polluting. Moreover, the vessel’s design and construction are supervised at each stage by officials of the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS),” he said.
