The heavily silted inland waterways in the State have posed various problems to vessels plying along these rivers. The worst affected have been ferry services and there have been recent instances of ferries running aground during low tide.
With the government discarding its three-decade-old Hopper Barge in 2014, authorities were left without a replacement hopper barge for almost a year. The new Rs 3.62 crore Hopper Barge II was finally inaugurated by Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar at Britona on February 17 and it will now be deployed for faster and more efficient services.
Addressing a function after commissioning the Hopper Barge II, Parulekar said the silt near ferry wharfs and jetties would be removed by the dredger and deposited in the new hopper barge.
The minister said the hopper barge would resolve the problems faced by ferry crew in different parts of the State.
“There are many ferry wharfs in Goa and during low tide, it becomes difficult for the staff of the River Navigation Department (RND) to navigate and anchor ferries at wharfs. This hopper barge will be useful for the RND as well as mining organizations,” said Parulekar.
Later speaking to Herald, Parulekar said the CoP was in urgent need of a new hopper barge, after the old hopper barge was scrapped a year ago.
“Hence, the government quickly invited tenders to purchase a replacement vessel. This new hopper barge was built at the Mandovi Dry Dock in Pilgao within six months. There are many ferry wharfs in Goa where silt is deposited in large quantities and during low tide, it becomes difficult for RND staff to navigate and anchor the ferries at the wharfs. As such, this hopper barge II will be very useful to the RND,” said Parulekar.
Providing details about the Hopper Barge II, Captain of Ports James Braganza said the vessel has been built in Goa at a cost of Rs 3.62 crore. “The length of the barge is 46 metres with a carrying capacity of 200 cubic metres and has a speed of 10 knots. Given its higher carrying capacity and faster speed, the Hopper Barge II is expected to perform better than the previous hopper barge,” he said.
In comparison, Capt Braganza said the earlier 30-yr-old old hopper barge had carrying capacity of 160 cubic meters and a speed of 6 knots.
Detailing the job profile of the new hopper barge, Capt Braganza said, “There are 18 ferry routes and 36 wharfs in Goa. The new hopper barge will be used to collect silt dredged from these ramps and ferry routes, to ensure smooth movement of ferry boats.”
“While the RND has initially requested us to de-silt the Ribandar-Chorao and Cortalim-Marcaim ferry routes, the hopper barge will be used for de-silting activity in any of the rivers across the state,” said Capt Braganza.
“The silt generated in the river will be collected by the dredger and will be deposited in the hatches of the Hopper Barge II. The barge will then carry this silt and discharge it at a designated area in the Arabian Sea off the Aguada bay.”
“This hopper barge will be mainly used for our own activity, but it will also be made available on hire to private parties, if required. The hire charges will be around Rs 11,000 per hour, exclusive of fuel. However, the hopper barge will be provided along with its crew to avoid possible misuse of the vessel by crew of private parties,” Capt Braganza added.
He said that the CoP also plans to purchase a new tugboat to replace the old tugboat which was procured prior to Goa’s Liberation.
“This new tugboat will help pull barges and vessels which are grounded in the rivers,” said Capt Braganza, adding that the CoP had procured a patrol vessel last year to safeguard the state’s coast.
