Overloaded ferry stranded near Virar jetty

While the onboard ferry staff claimed that there were 350 passengers in the ferry and the glitch occurred due to overloading, an official from Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) said that there were only 70 people on board, against its capacity of 100 passengers

Mumbai: Several commuters were stranded near Naringi jetty in Virar on Sunday evening for nearly 40 minutes after a Ro-Ro (Roll-On Roll-Off) ferry travelling from Saphale’s Jalsar to Virar got stuck due to a hydraulic failure that prevented it from docking. While the onboard ferry staff claimed that there were 350 passengers in the ferry and the glitch occurred due to overloading, an official from Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) said that there were only 70 people on board, against its capacity of 100 passengers.

Overloaded ferry stranded near Virar jetty

According to the on-board staff of the ferry, it departed from Jalsar around 5.30 pm and as they reached Narsingi Jetty, they realised that the hydraulic pipe of the jetty’s ramp broke, preventing the ferry from docking, resulting in it being stranded close to shore for nearly 40 minutes.

“Passengers remained stranded on the vessel while the crew and local marine authorities tried to stabilise it for coordinated rescue efforts. Police personnel and marine rescue teams from the district administration also rushed to the scene,” an official said.

Local residents who often commute by the jetty alleged that it often carries more passengers than its approved capacity.

There were 350 people and nearly 75 vehicles on board and the technical glitch triggered primarily due to overloading, the staff said. “Due to the excess weight, the hydraulic ramp serving the ferry snapped.”

However, the chief officer of Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) Pradeep P claimed that the ferry had only 70 passengers. “The incident happened at 6.50 pm when the ramp of the RoRo vessel did not operate due to hydraulic failure and the issue was resolved by 7.30 pm. We had sent our inspector as there were allegations that the vessel was overloaded. The vessel had a capacity of 100 persons and there were 70 persons. This boat is taken out of service,” he said.

Passengers of the ferry complained of poor emergency preparedness and said the staff’s uncooperative behaviour added to their distress.

(With inputs from PTI)