The State-owned Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) is set to pioneer cruise tourism in southern India, with a solar-powered vessel and another one capable of global voyages set for rollout after the flagship cruise vessel Nefertiti takes the plunge here later this month.
Nefertiti, which costs ₹16.42 crore, is named after a beautiful Egyptian queen. It can host parties and official conferences on board and can carry 200 passengers up to 36 km into the sea.
Two other partially air-conditioned vessels, which can be used as tourism vessels-cum-ferries, will be launched later this year in Kochi and Kozhikode. All these will make the KSINC a forerunner among government-owned firms in the country's cruise tourism sector.
Andromeda
The five vessels would give a new dimension to tourism in Kerala, said A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, managing director, KSINC. The corporation’s Sagara Rani I and II are the only sea-going tourist vessels in Kerala.
‘‘We now intend to make a major presence in the sector by venturing into hitherto unexplored territories. Plan funds are available for the five vessels, which include Andromeda, a ₹60 crore ship capable of undertaking global cruises from Kochi,’’ he said.
Tenders for constructing Andromeda will be opened on October 12.
It will have berthing accommodation for 124 guests and is expected to operate from here to locales such as Dubai, the Maldives and Lakshadweep.
Solar cruise vessel
‘‘Construction has begun in a Sri Lankan boat yard to build a solar-powered cruise vessel costing approximately ₹4 crore. The vessel that is yet to be named is expected to be ready by August 2019 and is expected to take guests 9 km into the sea from the Kozhikode beach. It will be able to carry 80 people in the lower deck and 20 in the upper deck. The design is such that the catamaran-type vessel with twin engines will be stable even if all 100 passengers are in the upper deck," said Anoop Kumar, technical manager, KSINC.
Food and entertainment events will be arranged on board. A generator will power the vessel's AC system, while the electric motor will rely on solar power.
130 passengers
The agency's tourist-cum-ferry vessel, Cleopatra, which can carry a total of 130 passengers, has already arrived in Kochi from Goa, sources aid.
It’s sister vessel Michelle will arrive within a fortnight. Each one has a price tag of ₹2.40 crore and will have a top speed of approximately 12 knots (22 km per hour), which make them the fastest such vessels in Kerala, Mr. Kumar said.
The catamaran-type vessels too are twin engine and have an AC area which can seat 20 people. The aerodynamically-designed boats have modern safety measures in place, including alarms and a carbon dioxide fire extinguishing system.
Though plans are being drawn up to operate them in Kozhikode, one of them might be stationed in Ernakulam where KSINC is headquartered, to operate in the Vaikom-Ernakulam or Vyttila-Fort Kochi sectors.
