Roll-on, roll-off ship arrives; Alibaug journeys in a month
First ro-ro ship – M2M1 – to undergo trial runs; can accommodate 200 cars
MUMBAI: Motorists travelling between Mumbai and Alibaug can soon drive their cars on to a roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) ship and avoid traffic snarls and save commute time. The first ro-ro ship — M2M1 — which will be pressed into service in a month’s time after trial runs and clearances arrived at the Mumbai port on Friday.
The ro-ro service between Mumbai and Mandwa jetty in Alibaug is expected to cut travel time by more than half. The ship will complete the journey in an hour as against the three-four hours it takes to travel the distance by road.
More than 20 lakh passengers travel between Mumbai and Mandwa every year.
The ship, which is from Greece, has a capacity to carry 1,000 and 500 people during normal and turbulent weather conditions, respectively, and can
1,000 (in
accommodate 200 cars. It is 95-metres long with a beam (width at the widest point) of 18 metres and can travel at a speed of 15 knots. “This is a very big step for the city in the water transport sector. We have undertaken this project along with the Maharashtra
Maritime Board (MMB) and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco),” said Sanjay Bhatia, chairman, Mumbai Port Trust (MBPT).
While MBPT built the terminal on the Mumbai side at the Ferry Wharf (Bhaucha Dhakka) in
Mazagaon, MMB revamped the existing jetty at Mandwa.
Once the services begin, passengers are likely to be charged ₹235 for a single journey, while cars will be charged ₹1,000 to ₹1,500, depending on the size of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, by July 2020, the port trust is also looking at starting water taxis between Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. MBPT has appointed six agencies to operate the water taxis from the domestic cruise terminal (DCT) at Princess Dock in South Mumbai.