High-speed hydrofoil ferry service in Kerala
The
country’s first high-speed hydrofoil ferry service connecting the Vizhinjam
port in the State capital and Marine Drive in Kochi and Beypore port in
Kozhikode.
Details:
- A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Department of Ports and the Dubai-based Safe Boat Trips, run by Non-Resident Keralities (NoRKs), to begin the service for cruise and leisure.
About:
- Two 130-seater air-conditioned double-engine ships will be used for the services that will be restricted to daytime.
- To-and-fro daily services will be offered in the two sectors and the cruise will take four-and-a-half hou rs.
- The first service would be launched from Kochi Marine Drive to Beypore before Onam.
- Investment on ships will be made by the NoRKs, and the Department of Ports will provide the basic facilities at the ports. The Cochin Port Trust has waived all charges for the hydrofoil service.
Initiatives:
- To give a boost to the initiative, the government has announced a subsidy of Re.1 a km for travel per passenger. Thus, a subsidy of Rs.220 will be provided on the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi sector and Rs.150 on Kochi-Kozhikode.
- The fares will be in the range of Rs.1,200.
- The ship will have all modern facilities, including pantry, and entertainment facilities. The vessels can cruise at a speed of 30 to 40 knots (one nautical mile is 1.852 km).
