The plate-cutting ceremony of Kochi Water Metro’s first hybrid electric ferry that will have the capacity to seat 100 passengers was held at the Cochin Shipyard on Monday.
It will be the first of the 23 ferries for which Kochi Metro Rail Limited (KMRL) had placed orders for, under the ₹747-crore Water Metro project. The second lot of 55 ferries, each having capacity to seat 50 passengers, will be rolled out in the second phase. All the 78 vessels will operate in the Greater Kochi area, linking 38 terminals. The first to be readied will be the Vyttila-Kakkanad route, where construction of terminals is under way.
The plate-cutting for the aluminium hull of the ferry was attended by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) Chairman and Managing Director Madhu S. Nair and KMRL Managing Director Alkesh Kumar Sharma.
“This marks the beginning of the construction of Water Metro’s passenger ferries. I can see the professionalism and passion at CSL. We are looking forward to the timely delivery of the boats, so that Kochiites can cherish the dream of travelling in the Water Metro soon,” said Mr. Sharma.
“This is for the first time in the world that a top-class battery-driven passenger boat is being built. I can promise you that Cochin Shipyard will deliver state-of-the-art vessels for the Water Metro. We all know how Kochi Metro set international benchmarks in various aspects. We will be ready with the boat by the end of the year. As a team, KMRL and CSL will work together for the success of the project.” said Mr. Nair.
Directors of KMRL and CSL too attended the event organised as per COVID-19 protocol.
