Port Blair, Oct. 27: Admiral D K Joshi, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, NM, VSM (Retd.) Hon'ble Lt. Governor, A & N Islands & Vice-Chairman, Islands Development Agency today formally inducted into service the newly acquired vessel Nalanda, a 500 pax-cum-150 ton cargo, State of the Art ship built by Cochin Shipyard Limited for A&N Administration at a function held at Haddo Wharf. The Lt. Governor lighted the lamp and unveiled the plaque to mark the induction of the vessel.  The Chief Secretary (I/C), A&N Administration, Smt. Nandini Paliwal, IAS, Adhyaksha ZPSA, Smt. Pramila Kumari, Chairperson, PBMC, Smt. Kavitha Udhaya Kumar, DGP, Shri Neeraj Thakur, IPS, Senior Officers from Civil Administration & Defence, representatives of Cochin Shipyard Limited and SCI, staff of Directorate of Shipping Services were present on the occasion.

Addressing the gathering, the Lt Governor described the induction of the newly acquired State of the Art vessel as a historic occasion and stated that in the last 5 years, about Rs. 90,000 crores has been invested for various infrastructure development and connectivity projects in A&N Islands. He said that Rs 1300 crores has been earmarked for expansion plan of the shipping fleet which is one of the components of the Rs. 90,000 investment plan. Under this, two 500 pax vessels viz. Sindhu & Nalanda have been inducted and two 1200 pax vessels are under different stages of construction at Cochin Shipyard Ltd., the Lt. Governor remarked.

The Lt. Governor mentioned that the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister is to improve connectivity and infrastructure facility in A&N Islands so that the country can acquire a leading position among the developed countries and the A&N Administration is committed to achieve this vision.

The Lt. Governor informed that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between A&N Administration and CSL i.e. CANSRU (CSL-Andaman Nicobar Ship Repair Unit). He said, many initiatives under the different components of the MoU have been taken up, which include enhancement/up gradation of entire work force, infrastructure & hardware upgradation of the Marine Dockyard in A&N Islands. This will help in further improving the shipping sector, which is the lifeline of these Islands, the Lt. Governor added.

Informing about the various infrastructure developments in Isles, the Lt. Governor disclosed about the coming up of an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Campbell Bay which is also part of the Rs 90,000 crore investment plan in A&N Islands. He said, in the month of September, 2022 an amount of Rs.70,000 crore  has been approved by the Ministry  for different projects in A&N Islands and ICTT is also a part of the component. The proposed development of Green Field Deep Sea Port at Atlanta Bay in Diglipur will pave the way for A&N Islands to become a hub for Ship Repair & Ship Construction in Bay of Bengal, he said.

In his address, the Chairman & Managing Director, Cochin Shipyard Ltd., Shri Madhu S. Nair said, the construction of vessel is due to sheer passion and commitment of the workers, engineers and team work of the Cochin Shipyard Ltd. This ‘State of the Art’ vessel is one of the best in the world, he said. Apart from these two 500 pax-cum- 150 ton cargo, Sindhu and Nalanda, the CSL is also constructing two 1200 pax vessels for A&N Administration, the CMD said. He also informed about the CSL’s engagement with A&N Administration for ship building as well as to revamp the ship repair eco-system in A&N Islands.

Earlier, welcoming the chief guest and others present on the occasion, the Secretary (Shipping), Shri Kishore Kshirsagar Lakshman said, the Vessel Nalanda like its sister ship MV Sindhu which was inducted last year can carry 500 passengers and 150 tons of cargo. The addition of this ship in DSS fleet will bolster our capacity to provide services in the inter-island route as well as in mainland route. The Shipping Department is committed towards providing services in different Islands, the Secretary said. To ensure an uninterrupted shipping service, the Secretary said that the Shipping Department is committed to provide better services with the mantra ‘Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’.

After inducting the vessel, the Hon’ble Lt Governor, took a walk around the vessel Nalanda and inspected passenger amenities available onboard.

This all weather vessel, has a length of 91 Mtr and can cruise at a speed of 16 Knt. The vessel  is not only equipped with  machineries of latest technology but also offers modern passenger amenities, with 12 Pax deluxe cabins, 32 Pax 1st Class Cabin and 36 Pax 2nd  Class Cabin. The vessel also have 346 Bunks and 74 Seating for passengers. The vessel is also having 40 separate exclusive berths for unaccompanied ladies travelling onboard.

The induction of this vessel will prove to be an important milestone which will not only enhance the operational capabilities across the Islands but also contribute in promoting safe and comfortable journey for the passengers.

The vessel on her maiden voyage will sail to Little Andaman with passengers tomorrow (Oct. 28) at 1000 hrs from Haddo Wharf.