Close on the heels of approving ₹10 crore for the construction of a third roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry on the Vypeen-Fort Kochi route, Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) might fund the procurement of solar-powered ferries for the State Water Transport Department (SWTD), it is learnt.
Even as the CSML director board decided on providing ₹10 crore for the ro-ro ferry, a decision on extending funds for solar ferries (and e-buses for the KSRTC) has been deferred. The decision will be taken after discussing the matter with the MP and MLAs, said Mayor M. Anilkumar, who is a board member.
CSML sources said a decision would be taken after further deliberations.
The SWTD already operates Aditya, a solar-powered ferry which won the Gustave Trouvé Award in 2020, on the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route. It had subsequently announced that orders would be placed for 10 more ferries. The aim was to rein in fuel bills, which worked out to approximately ₹8,000 per diesel ferry a day. Relying on solar ferries will entail an energy expense of just about ₹250 a day, although the capital investment is relatively higher.
Solar-powered ferries, which causes next to nil noise pollution and vibration, will also considerably lessen the carbon footprint while transporting as many people as conventional ferries. Their price was estimated at ₹2.5 crore per piece.
The SWTD is in the process of replacing its ageing fleet of single-hull steel ferries with fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) catamaran ferries in Ernakulam. Apart from adhering to safety norms stipulated by the Indian Register of Shipping (IRS), they can operate at higher speeds as well.
CSML had earlier this year decided to provide ₹12 crore to construct a bus terminal at Karikkamury since the Ernakulam bus terminal of the KSRTC is in a dilapidated condition.
