Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday flagged off Prateeksha, the first of a fleet of three marine ambulance vessels built by Cochin Shipyard for the Fisheries Department, through video conferencing.
J. Mercikutty Amma, Minister for Fisheries, commissioned the other two vessels. The Fisheries Department will base them in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode, to rush help to stranded fishermen. Each of the 24-metre-long vessels has space for two patients, two paramedics and nine crew members. There are three beds and a mortuary freezer too. The vessels can attain speeds of up to 14 knots (25 kmph) and were inspected by experts from IIT-Madras.
