In news:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off a Ro-Pax ferry service between Hazira and Ghogha in Gujarat.
More information:
- The service between Hazira and Ghogha will be flagged off through video conferencing.
- The Ro-Pax Terminal being inaugurated at Hazira is 100 meters in length and 40 metres in width.
- The terminal has wide ranging facilities, including an administrative office building, a parking area, a substation and a water tower.
- The Ro-Pax Ferry Vessel ‘Voyage Symphony’ is a three-deck vessel.
- It has a load capacity of 30 trucks on the main deck, 100 passenger cars on the upper deck and 500 passengers.
Importance of the project:
- It gives a boost to efforts to harness waterways and integrate them with the economic development of the country.
- It will work as a gateway to South Gujarat and the Saurashtra region.
- It will reduce the distance between Ghogha and Hazira from 370 km to 90 km.
- The reduced cargo travel time from 10 to 12 hours to about four hours will result in huge savings of fuel and lower the maintenance cost of vehicles drastically.
- It will reduce fatigue of truck drivers and enhance their incomes by giving them more opportunity to do extra trips.
- It will give an impetus to the tourism industry with ease of access to the Saurashtra region and lead to creation of new job opportunities.
- With the onset of ferry services, the port sector, furniture and fertilizer industries in Saurashtra and Kutch region will get a big boost.
- Eco-tourism and religious-tourism in Gujarat, especially in Porbandar, Somnath, Dwarka and Palitana will grow exponentially.
- The benefits of enhanced connectivity through this ferry service will result in increased inflow of tourists in the famous Asiatic lion wildlife sanctuary at Gir, Gujarat.
About ROPAX:
- ROPAX is an acronym for roll on/roll off a passenger.
- It is a RORO vessel built for freight vehicle transport with passenger accommodation.
- It is used for short sea transport.
- They are used to carry wheeled cargo such as cars, trucks, semi-trailer trucks, trailers, and railroad cars, that are driven on and off the ship on their own wheels or using a platform vehicle, such as a self-propelled modular transporter.
- RORO vessels have either built-in or shore-based ramps or ferry slips that allow the cargo to be efficiently rolled on and off the vessel when in port.
Source: The Hindu
