The Kochi-Kozhikode hydrofoil service aimed at providing high-speed waterway connectivity between the two cities is a step closer to realisation, with one of the two vessels getting preened up for a trial run in the sector in March.
The air-conditioned vessels can accommodate 146 passengers, including six crew members. Officials of the Ports Department, which floated an expression of interest (EoI) for the service, said the distance between Kochi and Beypore could be covered in approximately four-and-a-half hours through Kerala’s coastal waterway. The impending trial run by a firm that responded to the EoI and shipped two Russia-made, Athens-registered vessels to Kochi in July 2016, puts to rest the uncertainty about the high-speed waterway venture through the underutilised waterway. The vessels, which were in operation abroad, are now being upgraded and refurbished at the Mattancherry Wharf. Sources associated with the project said that all work, except that on ceiling and seats of the hydrofoil, was over. All four engines (two engines per vessel) were reconditioned recently. Cranes and other equipment to launch the vessels too are ready.
IRS certification
Efforts are on to obtain safety certificates from the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) and the subsequent ones from the Mercantile Marine Department (MMD). Still, there is concern about the inadequate depth of most boat terminals in Kochi. “The Mattancherry Wharf has adequate depth, while most other terminals do not have the five-metre depth required for berthing hydrofoils. The Ports Department and other State government agencies concerned must ensure that dredging is done,” sources said.
A senior official of the Ports Department said that IRS would issue safety certificate if the vessels adhered to norms. “The government has issued administrative sanction for the construction of a wharf at Beypore to berth the vessels. Transporting passengers and cargo through the waterway will get a boost once all rules are framed for the Kerala Maritime Board. This will also enable faster decision making,” he added.
Subsidised fare
Aimed at attracting more players in the sector, the Ports Department had announced subsidy to the tune of ₹1 per passenger per km. This will mean that the per-person fare envisaged in 2016 as ₹1,200 will be lowered to ₹1,000 for the hydrofoil service. A few IRS-certified hydrofoil vessels capable of carrying up to 200 passengers provide high-speed waterway connectivity from Kochi and Kozhikode to Lakshadweep.
