Ferry service to Myanmar from Chennai to start next month

Come October, a ferry service will start from Chennai to Yangon in Myanmar via Krishnapatnam (Andhra Pradesh), to facilitate passenger and freight movement.

This was announced by Road Transport, Highway and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari in a press conference here to present a report card on 100 days of his ministry. The proposed ferry service, to be operated by Shipping Corporation of India, will help in strengthening economic ties between the countries.

Emphasising the importance of the shipping sector, and waterways in particular, Gadkari said the sector could contribute up to 2 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). “Transportation through waterway is much cheaper, as the cost of carrying goods per kilometre on road in ₹1.50 and ₹1 by rail, while by waterway it costs just 50 paise,” he said. Waterways have lower carbon emission, less chance of accidents and can decongest other modes of transport, he added.

The Minister also announced plans to convert water bodies into water ports. Also, work is on to allow Hovercraft (a vehicle that can operate on road and water) on routes such as Kochi to Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The river cruise on Ganga has kicked off between Patna and Varanasi and efforts are on to take this to other cities. Transportation of coal and food grain through waterways is also gaining momentum, he added. Gadkari said the Shipping Ministry was planning to start a roll-on-roll-off (RORO) ship service for transporting vehicles from factories to help save fuel used for transportation of goods through road. RORO ships are vessels designed to carry wheeled cargo, such as automobiles, trucks etc. that are driven on and off a ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle. “We have planned the expansion of the Cochin Shipyard and are working on different schemes for cargo and passengers at the shipyard. We are also planning to build three LNG (liquefied natural gas) vessels at the Cochin Shipyard,” Gadkari said. The vessels will be built at a cost of ₹1,500 crore each for which Cochin Shipyard will partner with a French company.

The Ministry is also working on a scheme for promotion of ship-breaking and building. “We have prepared a Cabinet note on the matter. The States of Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have potential for this kind of industry. We want to facilitate ship-breaking and building in our country,” he said, adding that after Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust in Mumbai, a Special Economic Zone will also be set up at Kandla and Kochi.