Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the government will extend all support to the activities of the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) under the State Department of Coastal Shipping and Inland Navigation.
He was speaking after inaugurating the operations of Poseidon Oil Tanker Barge and Lakshmi Acid Barge built by KSINC.
“Today, two barges are ready for operation, aimed at supplying fuel to ships anchored in the offshore and transporting fuel by water to industrial establishments.
I congratulate those who took part in the construction process and worked hard for it. The government will extend all support to the activities of the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC),” the CM said.
Poseidon is a 1400 MT capacity oil tanker barge built at Vijay Marine Shipyard of Goa with a government contribution of Rs 12.32 crore and company’s own funds of Rs 3.02 crore.
“It is a commendable achievement to have completed the construction, carried out inspections and made it operational within the stipulated time,” he said.
Lakshmi is a 300 MT capacity acid barge built at KSINC’s own yard at Thoppumpadi with a government allocation of Rs 3 crore and company’s own funds of Rs 1.50 crore to safely supply acid to industries.
In the first phase, water-based acid supply will be done to The Fertilisers And Chemicals Travancore Limited (FACT). Then the distribution will be extended to other places.
This is not the first time that KSINC is undertaking such construction work. It has also gained attention in the past by building various barges, solar boats etc.
“The government is providing all necessary support to the corporation. It will continue. The corporation, which was running at a loss, made a good profit in the last financial year,” the CM added.
The Chief Minister also wished KSINC to make further progress.
On the occasion, the Chief Minister handed over a special gift to Suraj Khilani, Managing Director of Goa-based Vijay Marine Services Shipyard, who played a key role in the construction of the Poseidon Barge, and Anantha Krishnan, Managing Partner of Krishna Marine Company, which carried out the construction of the Lakshmi Barge.
