Panambur, October 22: First in the country, the RORO water service was inaugurated at New Mangalore Port here by the NMPT chairman PC Paridah.
This was constructed in the Pure Car and Track Carrier (PCTC) Japan technology, and huge ship named Maria India is ready to transport huge Lorries and Cars through the water way.
The first journey will be taken from NMPT to the Hajira port in Surat and will traverse in only one and a half days. The transportation on road takes four days. Already the Konkan railway has begun RORO train service and has been successful. Now, the central road transport and shipping department has given permission to the country’s ports to provide such service through the waterways.
If this project becomes successful; in the coming days, internal tourism, cargo transport between in the nearby ports will also be begun and the businessmen are requested to make the best use of this service, appealed the chairman of ports PC Parida.
In the RORO of Konkan railways, there are provision only to transport only 11 feet lorries. There are no provisions elsewhere for the RORO. But through the water ways, at a time 150 trucks and 200 cars can be transported in this huge ship. By this transport project, the truck owners can save about Rs 10,000 toll amount. The consignments can be delivered in the stipulated time and the traffic snarls as well as the diesel wastage can be avoided.
RORO is the service of transporting the cargo transporting vehicle over the train. For the first time, such service was begun in Konkan railways in 1990’s. The trucks filled with goods will be carried over the rail wagons. In the similar manner, the waterways RORO service is also begun. Speciality is that the two services begun for the first time in the country in Mangaluru.
Cargos in RORO service:
By transporting the completely loaded trucks in trains or ships, there will be considerable savings in total expenditure. In the RORO train service, there are provision for the driver and conductor to travel where as in the ships service; provision is given only for the driver to travel.
