Call gets louder for bigger ro-ro ferry, underwater tunnel in Vypeen-Fort Kochi corridor

With the government not handing over ₹10 crore announced in the Budget to procure the third ferry, it was decided earlier this month to source the sum from Cochin Smart Mission Limited

Close on the heels of the observance on Saturday of the eighth anniversary of the Fort Kochi ferry capsize that claimed 11 lives, demand is rife that the third roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferry that has been mooted in the Vypeen-Fort Kochi corridor must be bigger than the two existing ones.

This comes in the wake of the massive demand for such vessels that transported both commuters and vehicles from the two densely populated regions through the 500-metre waterway corridor. Yet another reason is that tens of hundreds of motorists get stranded each day whenever either of the two vessels that operate in the corridor has to be withdrawn from service due to technical glitches or for dry docking. While commuters could hustle themselves into the few State Water Transport department (SWTD) ferries, motorists have to take the cumbersome route through the trio of Goshree bridges and narrow, congested roads and bridges that link the mainland with West Kochi, to reach their destinations.

With the State government not handing over ₹10 crore announced in the Budget to procure the third ro-ro ferry, it was decided earlier this month to source the sum from Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) after the agency’s board approved it. The remaining ₹5 crore is to be pooled in either by the Kochi Corporation or through some other assistance.

The Vypeen Janakeeya Kootayma, a non-governmental organisation, has repeatedly been insisting that the Kochi Corporation’s third ro-ro ferry in the corridor be bigger than the sister vessels that were built at the Cochin Shipyard and are now in operation, especially since CSML had approved ₹10 crore. “The existing ro-ro vessels Sethusagar-1 and 2 are 26 metres long and 8.50 metres wide. A much bigger vessel — a container ro-ro ferry — had been pressed into service in the Fort Kochi-Bolgatty island route when one of the two vessels was withdrawn from service for dry docking. A similar vessel can operate on the Fort Kochi-Vypeen route if berthing infrastructure is augmented at Vypeen,” said Majnu Komath, chairman of the body.

Johny Vypeen, convener of the body, sought steps to realise an underwater tunnel beneath the Vypeen-Fort Kochi sea mouth to ensure seamless commute through the State’s 623-km coastal highway. Jose Paul, a former acting chairman of Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Mumbai, had in 2022 recommended construction of a 2-km-long tunnel, 35 metres beneath the seabed. His estimate was that it could be built at a cost of ₹1,500 crore.

Meanwhile, sources in the Kochi Corporation said the civic body was looking forward to an agreement with CSML and the subsequent handing over of ₹10 crore to procure the third ro-ro ferry. The size and other specifications of the vessel must be worked out with the Cochin Shipyard. It also has to be decided whether an special purpose vehicle has to be constituted to operate the vessels.