Unchecked passage of container lorries and subsequent worsening of traffic snarls at heavily barricaded junctions on the NH Bypass have given impetus to the demand to reintroduce India’s first roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) vessel that ferried 20 container-laden lorries at a time between Willingdon Island and Bolgatty till 2017.
The vessel that could transport up to 800 lorries every day then was a relief to the harried commuters along the 1-km-long Kundannoor bridge, 16-km-long Edappally-Aroor NH Bypass, and narrow city roads although it transported an average of 250 lorries daily. The running time by road was over three hours via Kundannoor, Maradu, Seaport-Airport Road, Kalamassery, and Container Terminal Road, a distance of almost 40 km.
However, the patronage suffered later due to reluctance of a section of lorry drivers and owners to avail the service. Another reason was that the ro-ro vessel seldom carried the full complement of 20 lorries at a time due to concerns over the shallow National Waterway III channel between the two islands.
Much to the shock of commuters and port stakeholders, the service was withdrawn in 2017 by the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) following differences of opinion with Lots Shipping, the vessel’s operator, over the quantum of security deposit. The operator expressed inability to pay the ₹15-lakh deposit, citing inadequate patronage for the vessel and the frequent damage it sustained owing to the alleged reluctance on the part of the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to dredge the channel to ensure a depth of 2.5 metres.
Shallow waters
“The depth in several areas was as low as 1.4 metres. This resulted in the fully-loaded vessel getting damaged on many occasions. The number of lorries per trip had to be lessened, even during high tide, to prevent such incidents. The situation was such that many trips were cancelled during low tide. On its part, the IWAI refused to dredge the channel although it maintained the channel and owned the berthing terminal in Bolgatty Island. All this hampered the optimal utilisation of the vessel which could navigate through the waterway both during day and night,” said stakeholders who were associated with its operation.
A senior IWAI official said the NW III has an average depth of 2 metres, used by even 500-tonne barges.
“The ro-ro service between the two isles can be resumed once two of our vessels that are being built at Cochin Shipyard are commissioned in February 2020,” he said. The port insisting on ₹15-lakh security deposit came as a bolt from the blue since it would further make a dent in the vessel’s financial viability. The service could not be salvaged although its operators ran from pillar to post, they added.
Turnaround time
It is noteworthy that the vessel could transport up to 40 lorries during a return trip which took less than an hour. It could cover the distance between the two islands in 18 minutes, something that lorries, which used the NH Bypass and Container Road, took over 90 minutes.
Arbitration under way
With the stalemate over the operation of ro-ro vessel going on for the past two years, demand is rife that government agencies like KSINC operate the vessel which is now idling at Bolgatty Island. They could take it on lease or hire and operate it to lessen traffic snarls on the bypass and other congested corridors, official sources said.
Cochin Port Trust chairperson M. Beena said the port was not in a position to restore the vessel’s operation since an arbitration process was under way between the operator and the port following the withdrawal of service.
Taking note of the mounting traffic hold-ups caused by container lorries, the port has sought the introduction of a similar ro-ro service between the isles as soon as possible.
The matter was taken up a couple of times with KSINC and recently with the Transport Department, it is learnt.
KSINC managing director Prasanth Nair said KSINC could operate a ro-ro service in the corridor, provided it is technically and commercially viable.
