55 passengers stranded on Vasai-Bhayandar RoRo ferry due to low tide for over an hour

55 passengers stranded on Vasai-Bhayandar RoRo ferry due to low tide for over an hour. Pic/Hanif Patel

A RoRo ferry service connecting Vasai and Bhayandar in Maharashtra faced a hiccup on Saturday afternoon when the boat got stuck for over an hour at the jetty ramp in Vasai due to low tide. The incident left 55 passengers stranded for over an hour.

The ferry workers tried to pull the boat loaded with passengers and vehicles, with the help of another one, but to no avail.

The Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) has been running RoRo boat services on an experimental basis to connect Vasai and Bhayandar. The MMB has approved Suvarnadurga Shipping and Marine Services Private Limited to operate the RoRo ferry services between the two cities.

"There were a total 55 passengers onboard the RoRo boat which got stuck near the ramp at the jetty in Vasai due to the low tide. This is being run on an experimental basis. The ferry boat remained stuck for nearly an hour and then it left for Bhayandar," Dr Yogesh Mokal, the MD, Suvarnadurga Shipping and Marine Services Private Limited told mid-day.

"This is being run on an experimental basis. So, these days we are noticing the sea conditions. There is nothing to panic about," he added. When asked if the ferry boat sustained any damage, he said, "No damage at all. Now, the services have resumed."

The much-awaited RoRo ferry service between Bhayandar and Vasai in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) began operation on a pilot basis on February 20. This is the second RoRo service in the MMR. The first one operates on the Ferry Wharf and Mandwa route.

The Bhayandar-Vasai roll on/roll off (Ro-Ro) service cuts down the 30-km road journey between Thane and Palghar districts.

Ro-Ro ferries typically perform short journeys for a mix of passengers, cars and commercial vehicles, where vehicles can drive straight on and off, making it a speedy and easily accessible way to travel.

The newly-inaugurated service will ply eight times a day. The vessel can carry 100 passengers and 33 four-wheelers in one go. The fares for the adult passenger and the children will be Rs 30 and Rs 15 per head for a one-time journey, as per a release. The fare chart for two-wheelers is Rs 60 per ride, Rs 180 for a car, and Rs 100 for an auto-rickshaw, it stated.