Ro-Ro ferry to cut Mumbai-Goa travel time by three hours from 2018

Mumbai: From April 2018, you could travel with your vehicle onboard a ferry with the special Ro-Ro passenger ferries that the government will start between Ferry Wharf, Mumbai and Mandwa, Alibaug. The much-awaited ferry service will cut down your travel time to Alibaug and Goa further by three hours.

Mumbai Port Trust (MPT), Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) are jointly implementing the project.

The ferry service known as Ro pax (Ro-Ro passenger) service will be from Ferry Wharf to Mandwa along with Nerul. The whole aim of the Ro-Ro ferry service is to decongest the city roads and reduce the burden on Railways.

Sanjay Bhatia, chairman, MPT, said that work at Ferry Wharf and Mandwa has already started. “It is expected to end by April 2018. Thereafter, services for Mandwa will be made operational. The services from Nerul will take some time as we are in talks with CIDCO,” Mr Bhatia said.

The distance between Ferry Wharf and Mandwa jetty is 9 nautical miles (16-km). Currently, it takes around 4 hours via road to reach Alibaug. However, after the ferry services are made operational, one can reach Mandwa within 30 minutes. From Mandwa jetty, the distance to Alibaug is around 45 minutes. Motorists can further go to Goa from Alibaug via the National Highway (NH)-48.

The Mumbai-Alibaug service will start from April 2018 and will be available 24x7. The Ro-Ro ferries will ply every 30 minutes. The vessel that is being procured by the MMB via an operator will withstand all weather conditions and ply 24x7.

Mr Bhatia, added, “This ferry service will shorten the distance between Mumbai and Alibaug for motorists as passengers can take their vehicle on the vessel and travel along with it.”