More solar passenger boats and barges for cargo transport will be launched to exploit the possibilities of the National Waterway along the State, Transport Minister Antony Raju told the Assembly on Tuesday. With the success of the solar-powered ferry operating between Vaikkom and Thavanakkadavu, more solar boats are being considered due to less environmental pollution and low operating costs.
Manufacturing of five solar boats with 75 passenger capacity each and a solar cruise boat are currently progressing. In addition, preliminary steps are being taken for the manufacturing of four more solar boats with 30 passenger capacity each. The Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Department is currently using seven barges for cargo movement. Work on two more barges are in the final stages. Subsidies and operational incentives are being provided to promote cargo movement through inland waterways.
The inland waterways through the State is envisaged for a distance of 616km from Kovalam to Bekal. The route from Kovalam to Kollam is partially navigable, that from Kollam to Kottapuram is fully navigable and from Kottapuram to Kozhikode and Kozhikode to Vadakara are partially navigable. The Vadakara-Mahe stretch will become fully navigable soon. Of the 26km stretch from Neeleswaram to Bekal, 20km is fully navigable. The work on extending a new can for a distance of 6km is currently progressing. Cargo movement will become fully operational after all the routes become navigable. One of the current challenges is that some of the routes are not deep enough for the barges.
The State Water Transport Department has done preliminary studies on the transport of furnace oil from the Indian Oil Corporation plant at Ambalamukal in Kochi to the Kerala Minerals and Metals Limited at Kollam. Detailed studies are being carried out currently. Technical and economic studies on solar electric roll on-roll off (Ro-Ro) services from Willingdon Island to Bolgatty and from Vaikkom to Thavanakkadavu have been completed. Based on this, sanction has been accorded for the manufacturing of the electric ro-ro vessels.