Lakshadweep inks pact with Colombo Dockyard

KOCHI:  In an effort to ease the travel woes of the Islanders, the Administration of Lakshadeep and Colombo Dockyard Ltd of Sri Lanka have signed an MoU for building two 400 passenger cum 200 tonne cargo ships in 28 months.The MoU was signed by Syed Ismail Koya, Director, Port Shipping and Aviation, Lakshadweep and Mangala PB Yapa, Managing Director of Colombo Dockyard Ltd in the presence of Amar Nath IAS, the Administrator of Lakshadweep.  On the occasion, Mangala Yapa said the vessels would be 97 metre long and 17 metre wide.The draft of the ships will be 4.2 metre, which can cruise at a speed of 15 knots. The Dead Weight Tonnage of the ships will be 1,200 tonnes.He added that ships, made in international standards, would be designed by a Norwegian team.The ships will cost about Rs 130 crore and the first ship will be delivered in 24 months and the second in 28 months. Amar Nath IAS told mediapersons that induction of additional vessels will relax the present constraints of the islanders travelling to Kerala.He added that though there were seven vessels in service, only five  are operating now. The other two, including the largest vessel in the sector M V Kavaratti, are under repair.He said that many passengers to Lakshadweep were stranded in Kochi last week as three vessels could not be operated, adding that the situation changed as the administration has been operating 5 vessels since Saturday. Such crisis mainly occur in the vacation time and two new vessel will ease the situation.Syed Ismail Koya, Director, Port, Shipping and Aviation of Lakshadweep told Express that the technical snag developed in M V Kavartti, which has a capacity of 800 passenger had an adverse effect on passenger mobility.Considering this, the repair work will be done by German engineers and the service will be resumed soon, he added.