Issue
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the Ghogha-Hazira Ro-Pax ferry service in Gujarat.
Background
This will be the second such ferry service to be launched by the PM after the Ghogha-Dahej route three years ago, which is now dysfunctional.
Details
-
Both the services were launched to bridge the Gulf of Khambhat by providing a sea route to large number of passengers travelling to and fro between Bhavnagar located on the western side of the Gulf and South Gujarat on the east.
-
The service is expected to boost efforts to harness waterways and integrate them with the economic development of the country.
-
The project will reduce the distance between Ghogha and Hazira from 370 km to 90 km and travel time from 7-8 hours by road to just two hours by sea.
-
The ferry service is projected to annually transport about 5 lakh passengers, 80,000 passenger vehicles, 50,000 two-wheelers, and 30,000 trucks.
Ro-Pax
-
Roll-on/roll-off ships are cargo ships designed 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.
-
This is in contrast to lift-on/lift-off (LoLo) vessels, which use a crane to load and unload cargo.
-
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.
-
While smaller ferries that operate across rivers and other short distances often have built-in ramps, the term RORO is generally reserved for large oceangoing vessels.