Vasco: The flag off ceremony of the River Cruise Ferry, built by Goa Shipyard Limited for Uttar Pradesh Rajkiya Nirman Nigam (UPRNN) was held on Nov 23, 2020 at Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).
In a statement issued by GSL, the contract for building this ferry was signed between GSL and UPRNN on Feb 14, 2019 under the “PRASAD scheme” of the Govt. of India. This ferry is planned to be deployed in River Ganga between Raj Ghat / Ravidas Ghat and Assi Ghat at Varanasi, UP.
Furthermore, the ferry has been indigenously designed at GSL and incorporates all design features and statutory requirement in line with Classification rules of Indian Register of Shipping. It can carry 80 passengers in ergonomically designed cabin spaces located in Lower Deck and Upper Deck.
It has been specially designed with low drafts to cater for the depth constraints in the river. While the hull is built from steel, the composite superstructure provides weight advantage and better corrosion resistance characteristics.
“The ferry boat will transit via sea and river Ganges before reaching Varanasi on Dec 25, 2020. It will be prominent tourist attraction at Varanasi giving scenic and mesmerizing view of the holy ghats and temples” states GSL.
The flag off ceremony was presided by Secretary (Defence Production) Raj Kumar through video conference in the distinguished presence of various dignitaries.
