4 min readMumbaiFeb 7, 2023 11:56 AM IST
First published on: Feb 7, 2023 at 11:56 AM IST
Maharashtra Minister of Ports and Shipping Dadaji Bhuse flagged off the vessel ‘Nayan XI’ at Belapur on Tuesday morning, inaugurating the much-awaited water taxi service between the Gateway of India and Belapur.
The vessel, to be operated by Nayantara Shipping Pvt Ltd, will be the only service on this route in the morning and evening, catering mainly to office-goers. Till now, water transport services were mainly available only up to Mandwa, that too for joyrides. It was mostly used by people who arrived at the Gateway of India for Mumbai Darshan or those who travelled to Alibaug.
The vessel will sail from Belapur at 8.30 am, reaching Gateway of India at 9.30 am. From Gateway of India, it will leave at 6.30 pm and arrive at Belapur at 7.30 pm. The service will be available only on weekdays while on weekends it will sail to Mandwa via Ferry Warf (Bhaucha Dhakka). The operational and commercial partner of Nayan XI is Infinity Harbour Services LLP (IHSLLP).
Tickets have been priced at Rs 250 for the lower deck and Rs 350 for the upper / business deck. For ticketing and online sales, Nayantara Shipping Pvt Ltd has collaborated with MyBoatRide.com (brand owner of Infinity Harbour Services), which is in the business of digital ticketing. Since office goers who currently reach the CSMT Fort area for work are expected to use this service, a 20-22 day pass facility will also be available for daily users at a discounted price.
Currently, office-goers from premium nodes such as Ulwe, Kharghar, among other places take either roadways or travel via the trans-harbour local train, which is tiring during peak time. Roads also witness bumper-to-bumper traffic during rush hours. The newly started water taxi service between Belapur and Gateway of India provides assured comfortable facility with a seat, that too in an AC vessel with assured travel time of 1 hour.
Moreover, to resolve last-mile connectivity from Belapur station, a sharing rickshaw has also been made available for commuting to the jetty at Rs 10 per person and from Gateway of India to Churchgate and CST, shared cabs and buses are already available.
Nayan XI has the capacity to seat 140 passengers on the lower deck and another 60 passengers on the upper deck. The vessel built in Goa arrived in Mumbai on October 12, 2022. Thereafter, it underwent trials. Later, its owner operated the service between the Domestic Cruise Terminal (from Bhaucha Dhakka-DCT Ferry Wharf ) to Mandwa. However, footfall was low as DCT had last-mile connectivity issues and was not well-connected unlike Gateway of India, which is a popular spot for water transport services.
On the new route, the water taxi will offer an air-conditioned, comfortable ride at affordable fares and in less time compared to other modes of travel, as per Captain Rohit Sinha, director of Nayantara Shipping Pvt Ltd and owner of Nayan XI.
It is the first high-speed double-deck steady catamaran of its size in Mumbai that is capable of cruising across the ocean. The newly launched vessel’s speed can go up to 22 knots and it sails at 15 knots between South Mumbai and Navi Mumbai.
Due to the vessel’s size, its owner is confident that he will be able to provide the service at an affordable price which won’t be the case with other services, as they are smaller in size and of lower speed.
Nayan XI is the first high-speed double-deck steady catamaran of its size in Mumbai that is capable of cruising across the ocean. (Express Photo by Narendra Vaskar) 
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