The vessels were to cover the route in 4.5 hours, through coastal waterway

The much-awaited Kochi-Kozhikode hydrofoil service aimed at providing high-speed waterway connectivity between the two cities and later to Thiruvananthapuram has hit a dead end.

This is because the two Russian hyrdofoil vessels that were shipped to Kochi in July 2016 are all set to bid adieu to Kerala.

The main reason is that the Athens-registered vessels, each of which could accommodate 146 passengers, failed to get safety certificate issued by Indian Register of Shipping (IRS). The certificate is mandatory to get the sanction from Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) to commence the service. A trial run scheduled in the route in March too was not done due to the same reason.

To take vessels elsewhere

A representative of the firm that procured the vessels which were in use abroad said a complete overhaul, including of the twin engines of each hydrofoil and of the interiors of both the vessels, was done two weeks ago. “Only paper works were pending. But we learnt that obtaining IRS certificate is very tough. Much more would have to be invested to get necessary certificates and sanctions. So we decided to take the vessels elsewhere, to a different country,” he said.

The air-conditioned vessels were expected to cover the Kochi-Beypore route in approximately four-and-a-half hours, through Kerala’s coastal waterway. The Principal Secretary (Transport) K.R. Jyotilal confirmed that the service failed to materialise since it did not get safety certificate of the IRS. He had recently spoken of a proposal to initiate a much-faster hovercraft service in the Thiruvananthapuram-Kochi sector, capable of covering the distance in just over two hours and 50 minutes.

“Apart from adhering to stringent norms of IRS, we also faced problems posed by shallow waters at many berthing terminals,” Mr. Jyotilal said. The vessels would need around five-metre depth near terminals. The Ports Department that invited Expression of Interest (EoI) for the hydrofoil service and other State government agencies concerned failed to ensure the minimum depth of waterbodies near terminals. Moreover, work on a terminal at Beypore to berth the vessels had not begun, although State government had issued administrative sanction to Ports Department early this year, said sources of the firm which brought the vessels.

Subsidised fare

Aimed at attracting entrepreneurs to operate such high-speed passenger vessels through Kerala’s coastal waterways, the Ports Department had announced subsidy of ₹1 per passenger per km. This would lessen the per-person fare envisaged for the route in 2016 from ₹1,200 to ₹1,000. A few IRS-certified hydrofoil vessels capable of carrying up to 200 passengers provide high-speed waterway connectivity from Kochi and Kozhikode to Lakshadweep islands.