The Hindu Business Line : KSINC boats ready for inland waterways operation

AS many as five fibre-glass patrol boats built by the State-owned Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) for the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) are ready for operation.

The boats built at a cost of Rs 55 lakh are to be deployed in the National Waterways (NW) No: 1, 2 and 3 for patrolling.

Mr K.N. Satheesh, Managing Director, KSINC, said four boats would soon be despatched from Kochi to Kolkata for patrolling in the Hooghly. The IWAI Kochi would use the remaining boat for NW-3, which flows in the Kollam-Kottappuram stretch, he said.

The boats with a length of 7.6 metres are fitted with 75-HP imported Mariner Make two-stroke engine with remote control to develop a speed of 22.5 knots. Each boat, having a passenger capacity of 12, is fully covered with hard rooftop and solar panels for lighting purpose. All navigational lights are also fitted to enable patrolling during night.

The KSINC officials had conducted the trial run successfully last week and found that the boat is very stable even at a speed of 40 kmph. However, due to space constraint, Mr Satheesh said all the boats were constructed in a private yard in Kochi with technical supervision of KSINC officials. The KSINC Slipway Complex at Thoppumpady, at present, has plenty of orders for construction as well as repair works, he said.

According to the Managing Director, IWAI had entrusted KSINC with the construction of boats based on an MoU signed by the two parties to carry out several works of IWAI in the waterways such as dredging, bank protection, buoy laying, lighting, etc.

Referring to a new project, he said the Corporation is all set to commence the construction of a houseboat for a firm owned by the Karnataka Government for tourism purposes. KSINC has emerged as the lowest bidder in the tender but he refused to divulge the name of the firm and the price quoted by it .

Regarding the ongoing work of 100-passenger capacity fibre and steel boats for the State Water Transport Department, he said out of the 10 boats in the first order, three boats had already been despatched. Four would be handed over to the department after the monsoon and the work for the remaining three had already started, which would be handed over by March 2006.

The work for another 18 boats in the second order would also commence simultaneously. The total construction cost for these boats would be to the tune of Rs 9 crore.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
Air France, Air Canada too hike fuel surcharge

KSINC boats ready for inland waterways operation

Tuticorin box terminal: Pre-qualification bid meet on July 25

MacAndrews expanding India operations

CWC concession draws exporters to NMPT

4-day Aerodrome India meet in Bangalore

NHAI awards Rs 580-cr project to Gammon consortium

AP HC moots panel to end bus strike

Inching ahead