Commuters in the Vypeen-Fort Kochi corridor are having a harrowing time due to the alleged delay in repairing a technical snag in one of the two roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) ferries, which was withdrawn from service a week ago.
There was acute congestion in the sole ro-ro ferry operating in the corridor whenever Sethusagar-I or its sister vessel, Sethusagar-II, broke down. The Kochi Corporation and the Cochin Shipyard had to ensure that the engine and other critical components of the third ro-ro ferry, which the shipyard was expected to construct, were sourced from firms with a regional franchisee to facilitate timely repairs, said Francis Chammany, president of the Vypeen-Fort Kochi Passengers’ Association.
At present, experts from the Mumbai franchisee of the supplier firms had to travel here to repair or replace components when the ro-ro ferries were grounded due to a snag, adding to the delay. Attempts by Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) technical personnel to repair the ferries via video conferencing with the franchisee firm were often futile. A standby alternative, the Kochi Corporation’s ferry Fort Queen had become impracticable as its fitness certificate had expired, he added.
The Corporation, which owned the vessels, had vested the operation of the ro-ro ferries with KSINC—an agency that operated a fleet including tourist vessels and barges. Sources in the agency said that besides technical snags from continuous service, the vessels often suffered damage when ropes and other materials thrown into the waterbodies got entangled in their propellers.
The Goshree Action Council, in the meantime, had sought steps to redevelop the Vypeen Jetty, where ro-ro ferries larger than the existing ones could not berth. “The Kochi Corporation should redevelop the jetty so that the much bigger container ro-ro vessels of the Inland Waterways Authority of India can be deployed when either of the sister vessels operating in the Vypeen-Fort Kochi corridor develops a technical snag,” said Majnu Komath, its chairperson.
