Summary:
KOCHI: Helmsmen of roll-on roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels that commute between Fort Kochi and Vypeen have expressed concerns over the looming threat of collision with fishing boats stationed besides the Ro-Ro jetty at Fort Kochi.According to them, fishing boats are being moored very close to the jetty lately.“The boats stationed right beside the mooring of the Ro-Ro vessels, Sethusagar-I and Sethusagar-II, are posing a threat. If any unprecedented situations arise while steering the vessel or some technical glitches happen, it would be difficult to prevent collision,” said a helmsman.Authorities should look into the issue, he added.They also added that if any untoward issues arise, the blame would be on them.“There should at least be a caution board kept around the area to direct the fishing boats to be moored away from the jetty,” said another helmsman of the vessel.Whereas officials of Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC), which has the responsibility of Ro-Ro operations, said that no complaints regarding the issue have been received till date.“We would take necessary action once we get a written complaint,” said a KSINC official.The improper alignment of the mooring structures at Vypeen boat jetty has also raised apprehensions among the vessel operators.“The alignment and pattern of the boat jetty at Vypeen has some faults, and it is difficult to station the vessels there,” added the helmsman.Two weeks ago, six candidates who had been given training for operating the vessels since November quit the programme citing difficulty in learning the skills.“Only two people are presently being trained and others left the programme as it was not possible for them to get hold of the operational mechanism,” said trainer and the master helmsmen of the Ro-Ro vessel Ajith Kumar..