NoRKA Roots, the field agency of the Department of Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKA) and Kerala Maritime Board (KMB) will soon float a global tender to find companies interested in operating ship services on the UAE-Kerala sector, Minister for Ports Ahmed Devarkovil has said.
A passenger ship service to the Gulf from Kerala was a long-pending demand of expats. On the sidelines of the G20 Global Maritime Summit held in Mumbai last month, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal was briefed about the project by Mr. Devarkovil and Transport Minister Antony Raju.
Based on this, the Shipping Corporation of India, as instructed by the Ministry of Shipping, has convened a meeting of the KMB and NoRKA Roots . The meeting then decided to invite an expression of interest to find those who are willing to operate the ship and to select a suitable company to conduct a feasibility study.
The office of the Minister of State Ports Department held an online meeting, including company representatives who had previously provided ship services from the UAE.
The companies that participated in the meeting were not very keen on operating the service. Following this, the department has decided to float a global tender to find companies interested in the service.
As the Central Government has given in-principle approval, the Ports department has decided to speed up the project, said a statement issued by the office of the Minister.
The State government is moving ahead with the project with the target of making the project a reality in the beginning of 2024, said the statement.