The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) has selected a local consortium for the construction of ten new hybrid electric ferries.
The IWAI ferries will be designed, built, tested, and commissioned by the consortium led by Knowledge Shipyard and that includes parent company Knowledge Marine and Engineering Works (KMEW).
The contract has a value of approximately INR661.1 million (US$7 milllion) and will also cover maintenance and support for the vessels.
The construction of the ferries is scheduled to be completed within 10 months after the formal awarding of the contract. In-service support for the vessels will be provided over the next five years following their delivery to IWAI.
Each ferry will have seating for up to 20 passengers.
Sujay Kewalramani, Chief Executive Officer of KMEW, said that the IWAI ferry construction project will consume "less than five per cent" of the existing capacity at KMEW's shipyard in Mumbai, in addition to, "positioning the group within the emerging ecosystem for hybrid and electric vessels."
