Srav, world's first solar fishing boat bags global award

Srav, a solar offshore fishing vessel designed and developed by Kochi-based NavAlt Solar and Electric Boats in India, has bagged the iconic Gustave Trouve Award to become the world's first sea-going solar fishing vessel.

Srav, the world's first solar fishing vessel, bags global award

The prestigious awards were instituted in memory of Gustave Trouve, the famous French inventor, electrical engineer, physicist, and polymath. The Electric Boat Award - Commercial ferry category was dominated by nominations from some of the largest boat builders from across 30 nations.

A total of four vessels contested from India, of which three belonged to NavAlt. Srav was adjudged the 'Best Electric Work Boat" in the world, a release said here.

This is the second time that NavAlt is winning the global award. Earlier, NavAlt’s 75-seater solar-powered ferry Aditya which operates in the Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route had bagged the Gustave award in 2020.

India’s first solar-powered ferry Aditya wins global honour

Surveys indicated that there are close to 250,000 fishing vessels operating on petrol and kerosene. Millions of people that depend on the sea and its produce count on these boats for offshore fishing - both in its physical structure as well as its unit economics.

The rising price of fossil fuels is a big concern for the community as they operate on very low margins from the catch that they receive minus the tantalizing fuel costs.

"Srav is a fascinating beast to ride on. It can host up to six fishermen. It has a 50-km range and is ideal for small fishers. The energy bill would be less than Rs 10,000, while fossil fuels would cost roughly Rs 3 lakh. Wear and tear too will be much less," Sandith said. "All the more, the Srav is super stable and super quiet," he added.

NavAlt will be deploying many Sravs across the west coast of India enabling the fishing community to greatly benefit from the "cut down" in operational expenses.