The Hindu : Business : Fibreglass boats ready for handover

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Friday, Feb 15, 2008
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Fibreglass boats ready for handover

Staff Reporter

VS will hand over the documents and keys of the boats

The hull of the FRP boats is divided into eight bulk heads and leaks
The FRP boats are eco-friendly and cost less than wooden or steel boats

KOCHI: Ten Fibreglass Reinforced Plastic (FRP) boats constructed by the Kerala State Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) will be handed over to the State Water Transport Department on February 18.

Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan will hand over the documents and keys of the boats to Transport Minister Mathew T. Thomas at KSINC ferry terminal at Marine Drive near High Court at 11 a.m., said a communication issued by the Corporation. The boats were not pressed into service as they were not issued fitness certificates. The issue was solved with the State government issuing a gazette notification amending the Travancore-Cochin Public Canals and Backwaters Navigation Rules 1092 to include the FRP boats within the purview of the Canal rules.

All the boats have now been issued fitness certificates by the Chief Inspector of Boats. The hull of the FRP boats are divided into eight bulk heads and leaks in these compartments will not affect the other compartments.

The crew can bail out accumulated water using bilge pumps fitted in the boats. This will prevent sinking of the boats, the communication said.

The FRP boats are eco-friendly and cost less than wooden or steel boats. They are also fitted with hand-operated hydraulic steering and remote control systems for the gears which will make its handling easy. Meanwhile, the State Water Transport Department Employees Federation has demanded that the boats should not be pressed into service, as they feared that the boats were not seaworthy.

The boats have been kept idle for three years.

The use of the vessels may lead to accidents, said a statement issued by trade union leaders T. Velayudhan Nair, K.M. Peter and G. Motilal.

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