New boat soon on Kochi waters

KOCHI: The city corporation will introduce the new twin-engine, sea worthy, steel boat along the Vypeen – Fort Kochi route in a couple of weeks. The formal launching ceremony will be conducted on Monday and the service for the public will begin in a couple of weeks. With this, the journey through the risky sea mouth will be safer and comfortable. The Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation constructed the new boat at a cost of Rs 1.6 crore which can accommodate 150 passengers instead of the usual 100. “Though the ceremonial launch will be conducted on Monday as per the request of KSINC, the commercial service will begin after a couple of weeks,” said Shainy Mathew, town planning committee chairperson.

The KSINC will finish the pending works like seat fixing and stability test before handing over the boat to the local body for commencing the commercial operation. The civic body decided to introduce the twin-engine boat in the high risk ferry route based on a report on the Fort Kochi boat tragedy submitted to the Local Self Government Department by ADGP K Padmakumar. The report recommended  double-engine boats in the route would prevent drifting away of the boat to the sea channel. According to the KSINC officials, the boat has been constructed in strict compliance with all the safety norms. With the new boat in place, the civic body will terminate the agreement with the owner of ‘Pappy’ the boat currently operating in the route. The civic body will also introduce two modern RO-RO jhunkar vessels in the route once construction of the terminals at both ends is completed.