John Wilbert &Vikramaditya
Port Blair, Jan 25: The service of MV North Bay was withdrawn from the Baratanag Middle Strait today due to technical reasons, leaving a good number of heavy vehicles stranded at the Baratang Jetty for several hours. This is yet another instance of frequent breakdowns of vehicle ferry vessels in the Middle Strait causing huge delays for ATR commuters and causing a lot of inconvenience.
According to reports, there was a problem in the ramp area of the vehicle ferry MV North Bay. The technical team decided to withdraw the service of the vehicle ferry and started repair works.
The official of the boat reportedly informed the Directorate of Shipping Services, and MV Philobhabhi vehicle ferry was sent to Baratang from Port Blair. The MV Philobhabhi reached the Baratang Jetty around 2:00 PM and immediately started its services with MV Kadamtala.
Mr. R. Alagarsamy, former Up-Adhyaksh North and Middle Andaman said that when the service of MV North Bay was withdrawn, the MV Kadamtala was the only vehicle ferry taking heavily loaded buses or cargo trucks onboard till the afternoon.
After 2:00 PM, the MV Kadamtala with MV Philobhabhi started its services, but due to the morning disturbance, a good number of heavy vehicles are still stranded at the Baratang Jetty.
Ideally, two vehicle ferries are operated in the Middle Strait by the Shipping Services, as the Middle Strait is always busy. Two vehicle ferries, namely MV North Bay and MV Kadamtala, are usually giving services. However, due to the technical problem in the vehicle ferry ramp, the MV North Bay has been stopped for temporary repairs. As per details MV North Bay will be sailed to Port Blair for further permanent repair work at Port Blair.
