Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan flagged off the first of the three Marine Ambulance boats built by the Kochi Shipyard for the Fisheries Department. The boat, named ‘Pratheeksha’, was handed over to the Fisheries Department.
The Chief Minister participated in the function through a video conference. Two other ambulance boats were launched by Fisheries Minister J Mercikutty Amma at a function held at the Kochi shipyard.
These will be handed over to the Fisheries Department within a month. The service of these three Marine Ambulance Boats will be based on the coasts of Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode.
The boats are 23.80 meters long and 6 meters wide and can accommodate two patients, two paramedical staff and nine boat crew. There are also facilities for examining patients, a nursing room, three beds, a mortuary freezer and three medical lockers.
The boat is powered by two Scania Marine propulsion engines that deliver a maximum speed of 14 knots. These boats have been tested at IIT Chennai to ensure excellent fuel efficiency and quality. Senior officials from the Shipyard and the Fisheries Department also attended the function.
