In a proactive effort to address the travel challenges faced by Fort Kochi and Vypeen residents, the municipal company has unveiled plans for the construction of a third Ro-Ro (Roll-On/Roll-Off) ship. The Cochin Smart Mission (CSML) has allocated funds for this initiative and responsibility for creating the new Ro-Ro vessel will be entrusted to the capable hands of Cochin Shipyard. Mayor M Anilkumar announced that this decision was made at a recent meeting of the Kochi Smart City Mission board.

The Ro-Ro service, inaugurated on the Fort Kochi-Vypeen route in 2018, experienced intermittent disruptions and inconveniences due to successive repair work on the ships. This situation led to constant traffic congestion at both ends of the route. In response to a proposal submitted to them, the CSML board decided to allocate Rs 100 million for this project, as communicated by the mayor during a press conference.

Mayor Anilkumar outlined that the city company aims to have the project completed by the end of the following year. The estimated total cost of the project, according to Cochin Shipyard's assessment, is around Rs 150 million. To kick-start the process, an advance of Rs 50 million will be provided, in line with the discussions held.

A tripartite agreement between CSML, Cochin Shipyard and the municipal company will be set up shortly. Given that the second Ro-Ro vessel, currently in service on the route, should be in maintenance at the dry dock yard by 2025, the goal is to complete the project by the end of the next year, as clarified by the mayor.

The unanimous decision made at the board meeting designated Cochin Shipyard as the responsible entity for the construction effort. However, negotiations on the cost of the project are expected. The company plans to obtain additional funding or explore alternative options to cover the costs. The construction process is expected to take at least a year, as Mayor Anilkumar stated.

In addition, the Ro-Ro ship named Sethu Sagar 1, which had been under repair for more than eight months, resumed service after being restored to operational condition.