Your wait for the much awaited 'roll on roll off' (RoRo) ferry services is going to get stretched. This is because, the vessels required to be ferrying passengers and vehicles between Ferry Wharf (Bhaucha Dhaka) in Mazgaon to Mandwa jetty near Alibaug are yet to reach Mumbai.
According to Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) that is executing the Rs 150 crore jointly along with Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), one such vessel that will be used is expected to reach Mumbai from by this week, later trial runs will be carried along with getting sea worthiness certificate.
An MbPT official said, "There will be two vessels that the operator will be using for plying between Mumbai and Mandwa. However, one such vessel has reached near Mumbai and should be reaching MbPT within next two days. But this particular vessel will be available only for next three months, and later other vessels are expected to come.
According to the plan announced earlier this year, RoRo services were expected to start by April 2018 but it has not been able to take off yet.
An official from MMB said, "The additional infrastructure required for the RoRo has been already constructed and the jetty and a approach road leading passengers towards Mumbai-Goa Highway is ready for use."
The much awaited RoRo services will be able to carry 350 passengers and 40 cars at a time. The time taken from Ferry Wharf to Mandwa will be around 30 minutes from where Alibaug is around 25 minutes away. However, the fare for travelling via RoRo is yet not announced.
RoRo services is also expected to cut down distance for those travelling to Goa by road considering even vehicles can be transported from Mumbai to Mandwa. This will help those travelling to Alibaug, Goa and other places like Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg to reach much faster.
WHY WAIT LONGER?
- The vessels required to be ferrying passengers and vehicles between Ferry Wharf (Bhaucha Dhaka) in Mazgaon to Mandwa jetty are yet to reach city
- One such vessel that will be used in ferrying is expected to reach the city by this week, a Maharashtra Maritime Board official said
