CNG, solar energy to power ferries and tourist boats

Ferries, tourist boats, and barges operated by public sector agencies in Kerala are set to take the plunge into solar power or CNG as the fuel source to address climate change concerns and to rein in the operational cost. The city-based Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation Ltd (KSINC) is readying to launch its first solar powered tourist vessel “Suryanshu”, a double-decked vessel that can carry 100 passengers, while State Water Transport Department (SWTD) is expected to roll out five solar powered ferries in early 2022 and a double-decked tourist vessel in a month.The Alappuzha-based SWTD had created headlines in 2017 with the launch of Aditya, said to the first fully solar powered ferry in Asia, after its daily operational expenses of the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu ferry fell from ₹8,000 per day (when a diesel ferry was in operation) to ₹200. Buoyed by this, and the…

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