Commuters dependent on the Fort Kochi-Vypeen roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry service may be in a for a hard time with one of the two vessels that suspended service on Tuesday afternoon is unlikely to resume service no sooner than next week.
The frequent disruption of service has caused much heartburn among commuters heavily reliant on the service since the boat service on the route was stopped with the introduction of two ro-ro vessels three years ago.
“The overheating of the thruster control system is causing the disruption of power connection to the engine, hampering the operation. We had installed a blower in the engine room to cool the system but that is obviously not serving the purpose,” said sources with the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation Limited (KSINC) that is operating the service on behalf of the Kochi Corporation. This anomaly means the system has to be cooled off before the resumption of the service. This has been causing frequent disruption of the service by one of the vessels for well over a fortnight now, leading to long line of vehicles at the boat jetties often. KSINC had reportedly written to the Mumbai-based company that built the thruster control system seeking an expert team for emergency maintenance more than a fortnight ago but to no avail.
The delay was attributed to the pandemic, and a team is not expected before next week.
“We have written a letter to the Corporation on Wednesday to intervene and facilitate the expertise of Cochin Shipyard Limited, which built the vessels, in the interim. The service is unlikely to be restored until the anomaly is addressed,” said KSINC sources.
Vypeen-Fort Kochi Ferry Passengers Association has demanded rectification of the problem and restoration of the service at the earliest.
“The other vessel was repaired last year and similar timely maintenance should be done in the case of the one in disrepair,” said Francis Chammany, president of the association.
