The third roll-on roll-off (ro-ro) vessel of the Kochi Corporation will be launched within a month, Mayor V.K. Minimol said in a statement issued here after supervising the progress of its construction at Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) along with Ernakulam MP Hibi Eden and standing committee chairpersons on Saturday (June 6, 2026).

She also held consultations with CSL officials. The date of inauguration will be decided based on the convenience of the Chief Minister.

The new vessel will have the capacity to accommodate 14 trucks, 12 cars, and 50 passengers and has been designed to address the shortcomings of the existing ro-ro fleet. Before its official inauguration, it will be launched into the water this month itself, Ms. Minimol said.

The maintenance of the existing vessel will be completed at the earliest in association with the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation Limited (KSINC). Once the new vessel is launched, the two existing vessels will be dry-docked one after the other. Mr. Eden said that a proposal to build a modern hybrid ro-ro vessel, capable of running on both diesel and electric power and accommodating over 100 vehicles, is also on the anvil. It will be constructed at CSL with Central funding, he added.

Standing committee chairpersons T.K. Asharaf, Antony Painuthara, K.A. Manaf, P.M. Naseema, Seena Gokulan, Jismy Gerald, and Corporation secretary P.S. Shibu accompanied the Mayor.