The ferries will be operated on
the River Hooghly
by the West Bengal
Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (WBTIDCL).
The contract was signed by Shri
Tapas Biswas, Joint Project Director, WBIWTLSDP and Cdr Shantanu Bose,
IN(Retd), Director (Shipbuilding), GRSE, in the august presence
of Shri Snehasis
Chakraborty, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge, Transport Department, Government of
West Bengal, Dr Saumitra Mohan, IAS, Special Secretary, Transport Department
& Project Director, WBIWTLSDP, Mr. Shiraz Daneshyar, IAS, Special Secretary
Transport Department & Project Director WBIWTLSDP, Shri Venkatesh Murthy,
CGM(CSB), GRSE and senior officials from WBTIDCL & GRSE.
These vessels will
have catamaran hull design and be built with aluminum and Fiber Reinforced
Polymer or FRP. The hybrid electric propulsion systems will be
powered by batteries as well as diesel generators. The hybrid system will offer
greater flexibility to the operator to switch from one mode to the other as per
requirement, allowing for greater safety. The use of batteries will reduce
pollution substantially.
GRSE had earlier been assigned by the Government of West Bengal to design a
prototype for a next generation zero-emission ferry. This ferry, named ‘Dheu’
was launched by GRSE on 11 Jan 24 and technically accepted on 22 Mar 24.
Of the 13 ferries
for which the contract was signed, six will have twin decks with a capacity of
200 passengers each. The main deck will be air-conditioned. These vessels
will be about 30 meters long and 8-10 meters wide. Their maximum speed will be
12 knots and each will require a crew of five. The estimated cost of these six
vessels is Rs 126 crore.
The remaining seven
vessels will have only a single deck with a passenger capacity of 100. These ferries will be nearly 25 meters long and 8 meters wide with a
top speed of 9 knots. There is provision for five crew members on board. These
seven vessels are expected to cost nearly Rs 100 crore.
As per the contract, the hybrid ferries will carry passengers in
all-weather conditions on River Hooghly (part of National Waterway – 1, the
Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly River System) in the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA),
stretching from Triveni in the north to Diamond Harbour in the south.