India: Ministry To Inaugurate Ro-Pax Terminal & Ferry Vessel And 5 Projects Under JNPT Mumbai

The Minister of State (I/C) for Shipping and Chemical & Fertilizers Shri Mansukh Mandaviya will inaugurate tomorrow the 5 projects completed under JNPT at JNPT  Mumbai.

Beginning his schedule at 12 noon, minister will visit JNPT and  inaugurate the following projects:

• Construction of Flyover at Y junction near PUB at JNPT
• Centralised Parking Plaza,
• Scanning X-Ray,
• Augmentation of 220/33KV Master Unit Sub Station and
• Shiva Samarth Smarak Museum

In the morning of 15^th March  at  11.30 AM, Shri Mandaviya will also inaugurate the Ro-Pax Ferry Vessel and its Terminal in the presence of  CM of Maharashtra Shri Uddhav Bal Thackeray at Mandwa in Maharashtra

Representation Image –  Credits: wikimedia.org

Mandwa Port (Tal.Alibag. Dist.Raigad) is one of the important passenger ports on the coast of Maharashtra. About 15 lakhs passengers commute annually by catamarans and launches from Gateway of India to Mandwa and then to Alibaug and other places in Raigad district.

The use of Gateway of India-Mandwa waterway to reach Alibaug takes 45minutes to 1hr while travelling by road takes about 3.5 to 4 hours. This solves the cumbersome of long hour travels and as a result the number of passengers availing the water transport is increasing every year.

Considering the importance of this waterway, the government has decided to start RO-Pax ferry service from Ferry Wharf, Mumbai to Mandwa so that people can travel along with their vehicles in RO-Pax Vessel which will considerable save time and fuel.

The Ro-Pax jetty and terminal facilities developed at Ferry Wharf and Mandwa was a joint venture by Mumbai Port Trust and Maharashtra Maritime Board.

Mumbai Port Trust has developed infrastructure especially for ROPAX service  at Ferry wharf at the cost of Rs 31 Crores while Maharashtra Maritime Board has developed infrastructure facilities at Mandwa under the RO-PAX project. These works have been completed on 30.5.2018 with the total expenditure of Rs 135.29 crores.

For operating Ro-Pax ferry service and terminal at Mandwa, MMB selected and signed an agreement with M/S Esquire Shipping & Trading Pvt.Ltd on 03.12.2019. Later in the same month on 19.12.2019, MbPT  also signed an agreement with the same company permitting it to operate from ROPAX terminal at Ferry Wharf on common user basis.

ROPAX Vessel M2M-1 was built in Greece in September 2019. This vessel is highly maneuverable and has a speed of 14knots. It can cover a distance from Ferry Wharf to Mandwa in 45 minutes to 1hr. The vessel can carry 200 cars and 1000 passengers at a time. This vessel will also help in reducing road traffic travelling to Alibaug/ Goa to a certain extent as travellers will certainly prefer a peaceful journey. In concern to environmental issues, this mode of transport is expected to reduce fuel consumption, vehicular emission effectively. Such operation is certainly a step in reducing carbon Footprint.

Reference: pib.nic.in

Source: Maritime Shipping News