City-Port Blair passenger ships limp on high seas – Times of India

Chennai: Passenger ships sailing to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from the city shore are losing patronage to the airlines. Engine failures, falty air-conditioners and poor sanitation in ships operated by the Union shipping ministry are just some of the reasons why passengers are opting for air travel.

The ship MV Nancowry, which has a passenger capacity of 1,200, may carry less than a few hundreds when it sets sail on Friday. Until Wednesday, only about 80 tickets had been booked. Just 165 passengers had reached Chennai from Port Blair during MV Nancowry's previous voyage. The ship was scheduled to leave Chennai port for Port Blair last Friday but when passengers lined up to book tickets they were informed that the voyage was cancelled due to technical problems.

MV Nancowry which was to leave Chennai was rerouted to Vishakapatnam. An official in the shipping services said, "There were a greater number of passengers in Vishakapatnam who required the service. MV Nicobar which was to ferry them to Port Blair had broken down."

Crew members of the other ship, MV Swaraj Dweep said it suffers engine failure frequently. A crew member, requesting anonymity, said, "When an engine fails, we are forced to manage with the alternate engine. Because of this, the average speed of the ship reduces from 16 knots to 9 knots. As a result, the three-day journey takes four or more days."

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City-Port Blair passenger ships limp on high seas - Times of India