Summary:
KOCHI: Giving a boost to the water transport systems linking Kochi city, the Kerala state water transport department ( SWTD ) is set to launch a new high-speed ferry service on Sunday. “While normal ferries use 500hp engines to operate at same speed, Vega is using a 340 hp engine. While the ferry boats currently plying in the state’s inland waters operate at speed of 14 kmph Vega120 will generally operate at 22 kmph.“If compared to boats having similar carrying capacity, Vega 120 is more fuel efficient. It needs approximately 40% less fuel to operate at 12 knots speed compared to any other similar sized ferries plying in Kerala,” said an SWTD official. The engine room is completely insulated with A-30 and hull and inner deck are coated with fire resistant resin to prevent fire accidents..