The much-awaited roll-on/roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry services between Vasai-Bhayandar (and vice versa) will start from Tuesday (20, February 2024). Chief executive officer (CEO) of the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) Dr. Manik Gursal issued a press release in this context on Saturday.  

Suvarnadurg Shipping and Marine Services Private Limited, a Ratnagiri-based entity having a rich experience in the field of ferry services on various sectors of the Konkan coastline has been shortlisted and permitted to operate the Ro-Ro passenger vessels on this creek route. 

Offering a much faster and more efficient mode of transportation, the services will be initially operated on an experimental basis for three months in order to hammer out any type of technical or logistical issues if detected. 

The vessels will have a capacity to ferry 100 passengers and 33 vehicles including two, three and four-wheelers at a time. The surge in the number of vehicles has resulted in increased travel time and traffic congestion on the highway. The Ro-Ro service has the potential to tap the traffic and reduce the travel distance between the two cities by nearly 34 km which will not only slash the travel time by around 55 minutes but also save precious fuel which is wasted due to heavy congestion and minimise pollution during peak traffic hours. 

Check tariff details here:

As per the introductory tariff, ₹60 will be charged for motorcycle (with rider), ₹100 for three-wheeler/ minidor (with driver), ₹180 for car (with driver), ₹40 per basket of fish, hens, fruits, ₹40 for animals like do, goat and sheep, ₹30 for passengers aged above 12 years and ₹15 for passengers aged between 3 to 12 years.