A 75-seater solar ferry, named ‘Aditya’, to be operated by Kerala State Water Transport Department, has undergone successful trial on water. The boat, 20 metre in length and 7 metre in width, constructed by NavAlt, a joint venture with a French company, based in Kerala, was taken from the manufacturing site at Aroor to the backwaters there a few days ago. The boat, said to be first of its kind in the country, is to be handed over to the KSWTD next month.
The boat, made of fibre glass, would run at a maximum cruising speed of 7.5 knots, Sandith Thandasherry, a naval architect and head of NavAlt., told The Hindu . The vessel’s launch into the backwaters in Aroor was done under the supervision of a French team. Optimisation trials as well as builder’s trial under full load were done. The technical trials conforming to standards set by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) were done under full load on November 16, he said.
“The solar ferry sailed as expected and attained the maximum speed of 7.4 knots at a 90 per cent propulsion power. For attaining cruise speed of 5.5 knots, only 15 kW power was needed. The boat was also tested for various safety requirements of IRS Class, including running the boat at cruise speed with one set of propulsion power shut down”.
“ The imported lithium battery pack and motor console were fitted on the boat recently after completion of the work on the hull and superstructure. The noiseless and pollution-free operation would make a remarkable change from the conventional ferries that use diesel as fuel,” he said. The solar ferry is planned for operation on the Thavanakkadavu-Vaikkom route, stretching about 2.5 km. The solar ferry, made of fibre glass, costs around Rs.1.85 crore. Though costlier than the conventional boats made of steel, the solar ferry’s operating cost will be minimal, apart from providing a major advantage from its non-polluting and noiseless operations. The boat will be eligible for subsidy from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.
The boat is capable of running 6 hours continuously. It can be operated on longer routes such as Alappuzha-Ernakulam, Mr.Sandith said. With modifications in the battery pack and motor, the boat can be utilised for operation for more hours on longer routes. The company has already made a 20-seater solar boat for a tourism operator in Punjab.
