The travel time from the island to mainland with the Ro-Ro service would be just 12 minutes, as against 30 minutes taken by the conventional ferry boats, State River Navigation Department Minister Subhash Phal Desai said.

The Ro-Ro ferry boats have a facility to drive in from one side and drive out from another, thereby reducing the time of travel for the passengers and eradicating the inconvenience, the minister said.

He said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant will launch the service today, (14 July) marking the beginning of a new and faster facility for the islanders who have to travel through the Mandovi River in the absence of a bridge.

The Ro-Ro ferries – named as Gangotri and Dwarka – have been built by the Goa-based Vijai Marines Shipyards, which would be operating it on the Built-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis, the minister said. Each Ro-Ro ferry can carry up to 40 two-wheelers and 15 cars, he said, adding the boat has a capability to manoeuvre 360 degrees in case of emergencies. The boat is equipped with life jackets for safety and has a unique feature of separate air conditioned compartment for passengers with a sitting capacity of 50, the minister said.      The government has decided to offer this service free of cost to passengers and two-wheelers, while cars will be charged ₹15 each, Phal Desai said.