<p data-path-to-node="7">The <b data-path-to-node="7" data-index-in-node="16">Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW)</b> has conducted a comprehensive high-level review of operational and upcoming <b data-path-to-node="7" data-index-in-node="142">Roll-On/Roll-Off (Ro-Ro) and Roll-On/Passenger (Ro-Pax) ferry services</b> across India’s National Waterways and coastal maritime networks.</p><p data-path-to-node="8">Chaired by senior ministry officials alongside representatives from the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI), major port authorities, and state maritime boards, the review evaluated terminal commissioning schedules, fairway dredging progress, and private vessel operator integration under the <b data-path-to-node="8" data-index-in-node="299">Sagarmala Programme</b>. The initiative focuses on unlocking underutilized coastal and riverine corridors to shift heavy vehicular freight away from congested highway arteries, cut travel distances, reduce carbon emissions, and expand low-cost passenger and commercial vehicular transit.</p><h3 data-path-to-node="10">Key Operational Highlights &amp; Strategic Roadmap</h3><ul data-path-to-node="11"><li><p data-path-to-node="11,0,0"><b data-path-to-node="11,0,0" data-index-in-node="0">Expanding National Ro-Pax Corridors:</b> The review assessed active and targeted corridors across vital waterways—including National Waterway-1 (Ganga), National Waterway-2 (Brahmaputra), coastal routes across the Gulf of Khambhat and Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, the Mumbai coastal belt, and the backwaters and coastal stretches of Kerala and Odisha.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="11,1,0"><b data-path-to-node="11,1,0" data-index-in-node="0">Overcoming Fairway Depth &amp; Dredging Bottlenecks:</b> To maintain year-round vessel operations, directives were issued to ensure guaranteed Least Available Depth (LAD) across critical riverine channels through specialized maintenance dredging and real-time electronic river navigation aids.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="11,2,0"><b data-path-to-node="11,2,0" data-index-in-node="0">Fast-Tracking Multimodal Jetties:</b> Focus was placed on standardizing floating pontoon jetties, gangways, and vehicle-marshalling yards. These modular designs allow terminals to adapt dynamically to extreme tidal variations and river water-level fluctuations, speeding up turnaround times for trucks and passenger cars.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="11,3,0"><b data-path-to-node="11,3,0" data-index-in-node="0">Incentivizing Private Fleet Deployments:</b> MoPSW emphasized public-private partnership (PPP) concession models, Viability Gap Funding (VGF), and rationalized landing and berth-hire charges to encourage domestic shipowners and private ferry operators to introduce modern, fuel-efficient, and battery-electric Ro-Pax vessels.</p></li><li><p data-path-to-node="11,4,0"><b data-path-to-node="11,4,0" data-index-in-node="0">Compressing Regional Travel Distance and Emissions:</b> Successful existing routes demonstrate travel-time compressions of up to 70% compared to circuitous overland road journeys, cutting fuel burn, highway wear-and-tear, and logistics expenses for commercial hauliers.</p></li></ul>