01 November,2015 01:35 PM IST | | Ranjeet Jadhav
In two years, you will be able to ferry your vehicle between Mandwa, Ferry Wharf and Nerul on a ship as Maharashtra Maritime Board floats preliminary tender to construct bund
Come 2017, you may not need to hail an autorikshaw or hire a taxi after alighting at Mandwa, Ferry Wharf or Nerul. For, your automobile would have taken the water ride with you.
A file photo of Mandwa Jetty
The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has invited tenders to build a breakwater wall at these jetties, a project which has been in the pipeline since 2005. The tenders, which will be awarded by next month, are for construction of the wall and for infrastructure to facilitate the Ro-Ro (roll on/roll off car ferry) Pax services.
The service, once ready, will cover the distance of 10 nautical miles between Ferry Wharf and Mandwa in 20 minutes. In one trip, 35-40 vehicles and 200-300 passengers will be ferried. The Mandwa port is located in open sea and is prone to high-wave attack round the year.
"Thus, it is very important to construct a breakwater wall, which will be 360 metres long." Said Chief Engineer, Kiran Vijaykar, MMB. The length and height of the breakwater wall has been finalised based on the tidal data collected from the last 50 years.
While the Mumbai Port Trust will develop the infrastructure at Ferry Wharf, CIDCO will develop it at Nerul and the MMB at Mandwa. "A floating quantum, constructed at an equal level of the ship, will help passengers drive their vehicles onto, and off the ship. There will also be a parking space available," said Vijaykar.
