Coffee, cashew, tiles, sanitaryware are among the cargoes which will be handled by the ship.
Beypore Sultan, the first indigenous 'IRS Class, Type IV River Vessel', is capable of carrying 81 TEUs (Twenty foot equivalient Units) and will be launched by Ports and Fisheries minister, K Babu, Renjit T Nelluvelil, CEO and Captain Philip Mathew, Managing Director of LOT Shipping told reporters here.
The vessel will be a boon to exporters and importers from the hinterland of minor ports such as Beypore, Azhikkal, Thangaserry, Vizhinjam, Mangalore and Tuticorin besides relieving the increasingly intense pressure on the state's roads, Renjit said.
The connectivty to the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) to and from these ports will help the business community by reducing cost and increasing their competitiveness. This will also reduce pollution and lowering carbon emission.
In one month, about 25,000-30,000 trucks can be offloaded from the roads once various containers are transported by water, Captain Philip Mathews said.
The Rs 12 crore vessel has been constructed by Master Shipyard Private Ltd, at nearby Eda Kochi, an associate company of LOTS Shipping Ltd.
To meet the demand for the boom in coastal shipping, LOTS Shipping will be building 10 coastal river sea vessels over the next three years. These ships can operate only in Indian waters and about 12 miles from the coast.
There were also plans to start service from Tuticorin to Mangalore after another vessel was constructed.
