On a trial run, a roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) ship will call at the Kollam port on Thursday. It will be the first ro-ro ship to call at any port in the State.
The ship will be coming from Colombo but will not be carrying any consignment. It will stay anchored at Kollam for three days and will leave on Saturday.
Ro-ro ships are vessels that are used to carry wheeled cargo. The ro-ro ship is different from lo-lo (lift on, lift off) ship that uses a crane to load the cargo. The vehicles in the ship are loaded and unloaded by means of built-in ramps. Ro-ro ship offers a number of advantages over traditional ships.
Since cars and trucks can drive straight on to the ship at one port and then drive off at the other port within a few minutes of the ship docking, it saves a lot of time of the shipper. It can also integrate well with other transport methods such as containers. It has significantly contributed to the growth of tourism. A person can take his car from one country to another by sea with the help of a ro-ro vessel.
According to Ports Director P.I. Shiek Pareeth, the ro-ro ship has a capacity to carry 200 trucks. The public may be allowed to have a look at the ship. On its return journey, the ship is likely to transport two truckloads of consignment for a clay factory.
First ro-ro ship to call at any port in the State; will remain at the port for three days.
