DG Sea Connect is a
RORO/ROPAX ferry service connecting
Ghogha
Ghogha is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated on the mid-western bank of the Gulf of Khambhat. It was an important historical commercial port on the Arabian Sea until the development of nearby Bha ...
and
Hazira
Hazira is a suburb and a transshipment port in the Surat City in the Gujarat state of India. It is the west most end of Surat.
Hazira is one of the major ports of India and the most important element of Surat Metropolitan Region. The town is ...
in
Gulf of Khambhat
The Gulf of Khambhat, historically known as the Gulf of Cambay, is a bay on the Arabian Sea coast of India, bordering the state of Gujarat just north of Mumbai and Diu Island. The Gulf of Khambhat is about long, about wide in the north and u ...
in
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
state of India. The original route to
Dahej
Dahej is a cargo port situated on the South-west coast of Gujarat, India in Bharuch district. There is 17.5 million tonnes per year capacity LNG terminal operated by Petronet in Dahej.
Port Information
General
The Port of Dahej is located in ...
was opened in 2017 and suspended in early 2020 due to lack of financial feasibility in dredging the siltation after the channel was silted up due to floods.
[Gujarat: PM to launch Ghogha-Hazira 'Ropax' ferry service on 8 Nov]
Times of India, 1 Nov 2020.
History
The project was started in 2012 by
Narendra Modi
Narendra Damodardas Modi (; born 17 September 1950) is an Indian politician serving as the 14th and current Prime Minister of India since 2014. Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2001 to 2014 and is the Member of Parliament fro ...
, the then Chief Minister of Gujarat. The first phase between
Ghogha
Ghogha is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated on the mid-western bank of the Gulf of Khambhat. It was an important historical commercial port on the Arabian Sea until the development of nearby Bha ...
and
Dahej
Dahej is a cargo port situated on the South-west coast of Gujarat, India in Bharuch district. There is 17.5 million tonnes per year capacity LNG terminal operated by Petronet in Dahej.
Port Information
General
The Port of Dahej is located in ...
cost to the exchequer. It was envisioned to reduce the travel time between the two places from 6–8 hours by road to 1-1.5 hours by sea. The RORO services was launched by Indian
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Narendra Modi on 22 October 2017.
The ROPAX passenger services were launched in August 2018 by the Chief Minister
Vijay Rupani
Vijaybhai Ramniklalbhai Rupani (born 2 August 1956) is an Indian politician who served as the 16th Chief Minister of Gujarat from 2016 to 2021 for two terms. He is a member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, representing Rajkot West. He is a ...
.
In first one and half year, the services were suspended six times due to various reasons.
The services were again suspended from October 2019 to February 2020 due to siltation at Dahej.
It was again suspended on 21 March 2020 due to dredging issue.
Gujarat Maritime Board
Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) is a government agency of the Government of Gujarat, a state of India. It was founded in 1982 to control, manage and operate the minor ports of Gujarat.
History
The GMB was founded in 1982 under the Gujarat Maritime Bo ...
had spent to dredge a five metre draft for the ferry in financial year 2018-19.
Later it was announced that Dahej-Ghogha ferry was permanently suspended due to siltation and lack of financial feasibility in dredging. Small vessels will be operated instead.
In March 2021, a ferry service carrying only passengers was restarted. The smaller ship has a capacity of 130 passengers and makes a single trip daily.
An alternative jetty at
Hazira
Hazira is a suburb and a transshipment port in the Surat City in the Gujarat state of India. It is the west most end of Surat.
Hazira is one of the major ports of India and the most important element of Surat Metropolitan Region. The town is ...
was considered for the services. In July 2020,
Adani Hazira won the bid to lease their jetty.
The ROPAX services between Ghogha and Hazira was inaugurated on 8 November 2020 by Prime Minister Modi.
Operations
The ferry is operated by the Indigo Seaways Pvt Ltd
in partnership with
Gujarat Maritime Board
Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) is a government agency of the Government of Gujarat, a state of India. It was founded in 1982 to control, manage and operate the minor ports of Gujarat.
History
The GMB was founded in 1982 under the Gujarat Maritime Bo ...
.
The ferry is 2015 Korean-built Voyage Symphony model.
It has a capacity of 525 passengers, 80 cars and 30 trucks.
Between October 2017 and August 2019, about 3.31 lakh passengers and 7000 vehicles had used the service.
See also
*
RORO ferries in India RORO ferry services in India include the following, many others are under implementation or planning phases.
List
Assam
* Majuli island in Brahmaputra River: 2 vessels operate on National Waterway 2 (NW2) by Inland Waterways Authority of Indi ...
*
Indian Rivers Inter-link
The Indian Rivers Inter-link is a proposed large-scale civil engineering project that aims to effectively manage water resources in India by linking Indian rivers by a network of reservoirs and canals to enhance irrigation and groundwater r ...
*
List of National Waterways in India
There are 111 officially notified Inland National Waterways (NWs) in India identified for the purposes of inland water transport,
as per The National Waterways Act, 2016. Out of the 111 NWs, 106 were created in 2016. The NW network covers around 2 ...
*
Sagar Mala project
The Sagarmala Programme () is an initiative by the Government of India to enhance the performance of the country's logistics sector. The programme envisages unlocking the potential of waterways and the coastline to minimize infrastructural inv ...
, national water port development connectivity scheme
*
Water transport in India
''Water transport in India'' has played a significant role in the country's economy and is indispensable to foreign trade. India is endowed with an extensive network of waterways in the form of rivers, canals, backwaters, creeks and a long co ...
References
External links
* {{official website
Transport in Gujarat
Ferry transport in India
Bhavnagar district
2017 introductions
Bharuch district
Surat district
Water transport in India