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Lots Bridge, the double-end ferry chartered by Kochi-based Lots Shipping Company for transporting containers through roll-on-roll-off (ro-ro) operations, has reached Kochi port on Wednesday.
The contract, to carry containers between Willingdon Island and Bolghatty, is for a period of 10 years. This is the first double-end ferry operated in India and it has a capacity to move fifteen 20-TEU trucks in a trip and 500 TEUs a day, company officials said.
The vessel is on long-term charter from a Singapore company and was employed by the Singapore Government. The vessel is classed by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS).
Considering the traffic congestion on the city roads, Kochi port studied various options for the movement of containers between Willingdon Island and Bolghatty required for the ICTT at Vallarpadam.
The port finally opted for container movement by water and created the infrastructure jointly with the Inland Waterways Authority of India. Both ro-ro and lift-on and lift-off (lo-lo) modes are being envisaged. The road distance of 15 km between W Island and Vallarpadam is reduced to 3.7 km by using the water connectivity.
The time taken for transporting the container trucks by ro-ro mode will be just 20 minutes. By creating the water connectivity, the congestion in the city roads is expected to be reduced.
All the south-bound containers are expected to use the ro-ro facility.
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