All about Sagarmala Seaplane Services

The Union Ports, Shipping and Waterways has recently started the operations of the seaplane services, on several routes. It is being implemented under a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework through prospective airline operators.

The implementation and execution of the "Sagarmala Seaplane Services (SSPS)" would be through the SPV with the Sagarmala Development Company Ltd, SDCL, under the control of the Ministry of Shipping.

About the Sea Plane:

1. A seaplane is an aeroplane with a fixed-wing that is designed for taking off and landing on water.
2. It provides the public with the speed of an aeroplane and the utility of a boat. 
3. The seaplanes are divided into two categories namely: flying boats also called hull seaplanes and floatplanes.
4. A flying boat’s bottom fuselage is the main landing gear. 
5. The plane also has additional smaller floats closer to its wingtips which are called wing or tip floats. 
6. The boat’s hull rests the crew, passengers, and cargo to be carried with it.

Mechanism of the Seaplane:

1. The project has begun based on a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) framework of airline operators.
2. SPV is any legal object formed for a specifically-defined singular purpose.

Sagarmala’s process of implementation:

1. The project execution and implementation would be through Sagarmala Development Company Ltd (SDCL). It is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways.
2. Various airline operators would be invited to form an SPV with SDCL.
3. The routes would be decided under the government’s subsidised ‘ude desh ka aam nagrik’ (UDAN) scheme.

Locations

The Origin-Destination pairs under Hub and Spoke model consist of various islands of Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep. It also includes the Guwahati Riverfront & Umranso Reservoir in Assam, Yamuna Riverfront/Delhi (as Hub) to lead to Ayodhaya, Tehri, Srinagar (Uttrakhand), Chandigarh and many other locations in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

Benefits of the Project

1. The seaplanes services would provide for an additional means of faster and comfortable transportation.
2. It would be providing air connectivity to various remote religious/tourist places
3. It would boost tourism for domestic and international travellers and travel professionals
4. It is time-saving and would also stimulate localized short distance travelling in various mountain terrains or rivers.
5. It would also provide infrastructure enhancements at the places required and generate new employment in various industries. 

The Union Cabinet approved the Sagarmala Programme in 2015. The project aims at developing holistic port infrastructure along 7,516-km long coastline of India through modernised, mechanised and computerised approach.

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