Necessity, the mother of invention and a tragedy led to the creation of unsinkable houseboat for Kerala backwaters.
The Thekkady tragedy that saw 28 lose their lives when their boat with 75 tourists capsized in a reservoir in South India 8 months ago lead to the framing of very strict norms for boats operating in the back waters of Kerala. The tragedy also prompted Aries Marine and Engineering Services, the largest ship design and consultancy firm in Middle-East lead by Sohan Roy, Chief Executive Officer to design and construct Safe Botel – the Backwater Operated Tourist Entertainment Launch, the only one of its kind - the unsinkable Houseboat of India.
This solar powered steel houseboat with eco-friendly features has six water tight subdivisions separating its hull into seven water tight compartments. A fully integral deck of the boat is provided at a height of 600mm from its baseline. This division of the boat into watertight compartments gives the boat additional stability even in damaged conditions. These compartments provide buoyancy to the boat’s hull.
“Due to their subdivision into seven compartments, the boat provides sufficient reserve stability even in a damaged condition, when water enters anyone of the compartments,” stated a spokesman of Aries Marine and Engineering. “The other watertight compartments of the boat are still intact since their water tightness ensures that the water that enters the damaged compartment is restricted from flooding the other compartments. This aspect of the Botel is what makes the boat unsinkable even when the bottom hull of the boat gets damaged.”
An Inclining experiment witnessed by Naval Architects has been performed on the Botel to determine its lightship particulars including position of centre of gravity. Based on the results of the experiment, a stability booklet has been prepared. It indicates the stability of the boat in various loading conditions with passengers onboard having been calculated. Adequacy of these stability characteristics with internationally accepted standards has been checked and verified.
Such an unique launch which is expected set the standard for other boats is expected to help promote the backwater medical tourism of Kerala in a big way. Ergonomically designed interiors the vessel makes no compromise on stability and strength and offers a wide range of uses for personal as well as business purposes or if one wants enjoy the beauty of the picturesque landscapes of ‘Gods own Country’.
Traditionally houseboats have been common feature in Kerala. In the past these boats even became comfortable living quarters for the royalty. Even today houseboats serve not only as a tourist attraction but an important mode of transportation in coastal Kerala just because of its accessibility to the most remote areas.