Kolkata: To reduce the carbon emission in the water transport sector in West Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee government has given a contract to defence shipyard, Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE), to design and construct a next generation electric ferry.
Special secretary of the state transport department Anindya Sengupta and GRSE director (shipbuilding) Commander (Retired) Shantanu Bose and signed the agreement.
The ‘Green’ vessel has the potential to replace the conventional diesel engine driven ferries operated in Hooghly river. The arrival of the electric ferry is set to transform the inland water transport system in National Waterway- 1 being developed from Haldia to Varanasi.
The zero-emission full electric ferry, which is 24-meter-long, is powered by 210 kilowatt per hour liquid cooled energy storage solution and ergonomically designed to carry 150 passengers with provision of air conditioning sitting arrangements.
It will be built with twin screw propellers, catamaran aluminium hull along with a piercing hull form fitted with the solar panels above the superstructure. The operating speed of the vessel shall be 8 knots with a maximum speed of 10 knots.
GRSE CMD Commodore (Retired) PR Hari said, “The project is expected to revolutionize the water transport system in this region and support the country’s efforts to reduce its emission and carbon footprints, changing the lives of the people in the city. The initiative also demonstrates the GRSE’s capabilities in manufacturing electric mobility solutions under Make-in-India initiative. We are keen to emulate our success in this green venture in other states with potential for waterways.”
