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Time of India
04-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
Ferry capsized at Chorao finally pulled out of water after 11 days
Panaji: The ferry boat called Betim, docked at Chorao island ramp, which was submerged since June 23, was safely pulled out of the water after 11 days. A preliminary inspection by the river navigation department (RND) showed that there was no puncture to the hull. The vessel was taken to the RND marine workshop for further inspection and repairs. 'Primary observations reveal that there is no major damage to the vessel,' RND director Vikram Rajebhosale told TOI . After several failed efforts to salvage the vessel using pontoons and even pumping out the water from its other rooms, the RND on Friday pressed a 50-tonne crane into service to salvage the partially submerged vessel. However, persistently high-water levels caused by heavy rainfall kept flooding the vessel's engine room. 'We managed to drain the water out of the engine room with the help of salvagers and a crane, following which the vessel was refloated,' Rajebhosale said. 'After repairs at the marine workshop, we will repaint the vessel, resurvey it, and put it back on the Chorao route within a month.' Preliminary investigations on the day it capsized suggested that the vessel sank due to rainwater accumulating in the tanks, which were not drained. The sudden flooding caused the ferry to lose stability and submerge near the Chorao jetty. On Wednesday, the RND crew succeeded in lifting the vessel by 5m and managed to drain water from most of the compartments. However, water trapped inside the engine room was a challenge as it required the ferry to be lifted further to allow proper pumping.
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Time of India
Rain disrupts ferry service on 3 routes
Panaji: Heavy rainfall on Monday caused disruptions to three ferry boats on different routes in the state— Old Goa, Ribandar, and Betim. The vessels encountered problems when ropes and discarded fishing nets entangled in their propellers, overloading the engines and gearboxes. Despite the movement of each of the three ferries being slowed due to the issue, all passengers reached their destinations safely. 'The affected ferries were promptly taken to the river navigation department (RND) workshop, where the entangled debris was removed,' said RND director Vikram Rajebhosale. He noted that windy weather conditions further reduced ferry speeds across routes throughout the day. The southwest monsoon set over Goa on May 25, two weeks ahead of its usual onset date of June 5. The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert up to May 29, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places over Goa accompanied by squally winds of 40–50 km/hour, gusting up to 60 km/hour. The RND will begin trial runs for the new roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) ferries on the Ribandar-Chorao route this week. 'The two vessels will be tested under different tidal conditions to evaluate their performance and allow for adjustments to optimise operations on the route,' Rajebhosale said.
