Kochi: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will launch the much awaited RO-RO (Roll on – Roll off) vessels in Fort Kochi – Vypeen route on Saturday during a function to be held at Fort Kochi jetty. After the inauguration he will travel in the vessel along with Mayor Soumini Jain, MLAs, MP and Corporation councillors and officials. After the inaugural trip, the commercial service will begin.
The City Corporation has signed an agreement with Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) for operating the two modern vessels. Corporation secretary A.S Anuja and KSINC company secretary P.K Raju signed the agreement. The KSINC will run the service until a special purpose vehicle is constituted by the local body. The RO-RO service will be from 6 AM to 10 PM and there will be a service in every 25 minutes.
Commissioning of the vessels has been delayed due to technical issues. Though jetties were constructed at both ends earlier, it was found that the vessels couldn’t be docked there without additional mooring facility. Following the uncertainty over beginning the service of modern vessels, the Corporation authorities entrusted the Cochin Port Trust with construction of mooring facility which took more than three months to complete.
The vessels, the first of its kind introduced by any local body in the state, is built at a cost of Rs.7.98 crore while Rs.7.62 crore was spent for constructing terminals at both jetties. The double-end vessels will help faster movement of vehicles since both ends will serve as exit and entry. With this, congestion and waiting time at jetties can be reduced considerably
