‘Set up signalling systems in vessels to avoid collisions’

Thrissur: The boat accident near Thanur seems to have revived the initiatives for augmenting safety facilities in other areas as well, and one of them is related to the operations of vessels through the Chambakkara Canal in Kochi.With the recent introduction of three boats by KMRL, there has been a rise in passenger vessels plying on this waterway. Already, huge barges carrying hazardous chemicals and country craft sail down the water body.The Kerala Maritime Organisation (KMO) has now written to the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) to introduce a signalling system to avert collisions between the vessels, which could lead to major disasters, considering that the barges are carrying hazardous materials.According to KMO secretary A M James, at least eight barges are operating through the canal stretch daily, carrying gas and chemical substances to the industries like FACT. They are quite huge and carry 500-600 tonnes of cargo. As per reports, the KMRL is planning to operate more passenger vessels through the Chambakkara Canal, hence, when the traffic increases, the possibility of collision between them also goes up, James said.The president of KMO, Johnson Mathew, said some of the barges operating on the route are single-hulled, and they might get stranded in the waterway, in case of a collision and salvaging the vessels could be tough considering the fact that the bridges in the area have only limited height and deploying larger towing vessels will not be possible.When contacted, director of the IWAI, Kochi, Mathew George, said facilities for communication can be introduced in vessels by installing RIS (River Information System) in the boats and vessels. “The vessels can share information about their movements and location through RIS. It might be a little costly, but safety is more important than anything else,’’ Mathew said. He said he has not seen the letter of KMO office-bearers, and would take appropriate decisions, after going through it.