The much-awaited Kochi-Kozhikode hydrofoil service that was aimed at providing high-speed waterway connectivity between the two cities and later to Thiruvananthapuram has hit a dead end since the two Russian hyrdofoil vessels that were shipped to Kochi in July 2016 are set to bid adieu to Kerala.
The main reason is that the Athens-registered vessels, each of which can accommodate 146 passengers, failed to get safety certificate from Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The certificate is mandatory to get the sanction from Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) to commence the service. A trial run scheduled in the Kochi-Kozhikode route in March too was not done due to the same reason.
The air-conditioned vessels were expected to cover the Kochi-Beypore route in approximately four-and-a-half hours, through Kerala’s coastal waterway.
IRS certificate
A representative of the firm which procured the vessels which were in use abroad said that a complete overhaul, including of the twin engines of each hydrofoil and of the interiors of both the vessels, was completed in June.
“Only paper works were pending. But we learnt that obtaining IRS certificate is very tough. Much more would have to be invested to get necessary certificates and sanctions. So we decided to take the vessels elsewhere, to a different country,” he said.
Principal Secretary (Transport) K.R. Jyotilal confirmed that the service failed to materialise since it did not get safety certificate of IRS. He had recently spoken of a proposal to initiate a much faster hovercraft service in the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi sector, capable of covering the distance in just over 2.50 hours.
“Apart from adhering to stringent norms of IRS, we also faced problems posed by shallow waters at many berthing terminals. The vessels need around five-metre depth near terminals. The Ports Department, which invited Expression of Interest (EoI) for the hydrofoil service and other State government agencies concerned, failed to ensure the minimum depth of waterbodies near terminals.
“Moreover, work on a terminal at Beypore to berth the vessels has not begun, although the State government had issued administrative sanction to the Ports Department early this year,” said sources of the firm which brought the vessels.
Subsidised fare
Aimed at attracting entrepreneurs to operate passenger vessels through Kerala’s coastal waterways, the Ports Department had announced a subsidy of Rs. 1 per passenger per km. This would lessen the per-person fare envisaged for the route in 2016 from Rs. 1,200 to Rs. 1,000. A few IRS-certified hydrofoil vessels capable of carrying up to 200 passengers provide high-speed waterway connectivity from Kochi and Kozhikode to the Lakshadweep islands.
‘Tremendous potential’
B.G. Sreedevi, former Director of National Transportation Planning and Research Centre (Natpac), who headed the feasibility study of the hydrofoil service said that Kerala’s coastal and inland waterways hold tremendous potential to transport commuters and bulk cargo. “They also hold untapped tourism potential. Above all, a shift towards waterways will decongest the State’s narrow and accident-prone highways and roads. The government must not let go of the hydrofoil service. Rather, it must rectify unforeseen issues that crop up from time to time, so that fast and eco-friendly waterway transport gets a fillip,” she said.
Apart from the coastal shipping route, the Kollam-Kottapuram (in Thrissur) National Waterway III too is shoddily under utilised, although the Inland Waterways Authority of India invested a few hundred crores through the past two decades.
On concerns of inadequate berthing facility in Beypore, a senior official of the Ports Department said that a wharf there is still in the design stage. “An environmental impact study too is needed. The hydrofoil vessels can even now call at two other berths in Beypore,” he said. It is the Ports Department that has to facilitate the service and arrange government subsidy.
