After bagging the contract to operate a roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) service for moving containers for the international container transhipment terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam, the Kochi-based Lots Shipping began operations by successfully carrying out a trial run recently, Exim News Service reports.

Lots Bridge, a double-entry ferry deployed by the company, transported 15 trucks in a single voyage from Willingdon Island to Bolghatty. The short cruise was part of an exercise to move containerised cargo to the Vallarpadam ICTT.

Senior officials affirmed that Lots Shipping, which has the contract for 10 years, would begin formal operations soon, it was reported.

The ferry, which is on long-term charter from a Singapore firm, is the first double-entry ferry to be operated in India for moving containerised cargo. Officials averred that it had the capacity to move 15 20-foot containers a trip and 500 TEUs a day.

Ro-ro terminals were set up by Cochin Port and Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), through a joint venture, in Bolghatty and Willingdon Island at an investment of Rs 16 crore to facilitate inland waterway connectivity to the Vallarpadam terminal.

Congestion on city roads is likely to come down due to the provision of water connectivity for transfer of containers as all south-bound containers are expected to use the ro-ro facility.

Moreover, the water corridor not only reduces pollution but also enables cost-effective transfer of containers from the cashew export belt of Kollam and coir export belt of Alapuzzha and vice versa by using container barges.