Authors
A Twitter user claims that the Indian prime minister Narendra Modi started a ferry service connecting Bhavnagar and Bharuch districts in Gujarat. It further claims the distance between the districts is 350km by road and 32km by sea. It is accompanied by a 59-second video which shows a cruise ship passing through a narrow waterway.
The tweet aims to appreciate PM Modi’s initiative to reduce travel time between the two districts, while also claiming the ship’s capacity to hold 50 trucks, 60 buses, 200 cars, 350 motorcycles and 600 people at once.
Posted on 28 September, the tweet written in Hindi when translated reads, “Bhavnagar to Bharuch road has a distance of 350 kilometers, and by sea route it is 32 kilometers, and by this sea route, the Prime Minister has started a service by the ship. The capacity of this ship is 50 trucks, 60 buses, 200 cars at once. 350 motorcycles, 600 people, and time in just half an hour”
Other social media users have shared similar claims.
Fact Check/ Verification
Through a reverse image search of the claim (tweet) on InVid, a video verification tool, we came across an October 2019 tweet by @Amazing_Greece which reads, “MS Braemar is the largest ship which has been through the Canal of Corinth #Greece”
Taking cue from this we did a keyword (ms braemar corinth canal) search on Google which led us to an October 2019 Youtube video. Posted by the account Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines the video’s description reads, Braemar cruising through the Corinth Canal.”
Fred Olsen’s video shows keyframes similar to the video in the claim. It also shows the same surrounding scenic views of the Corinth Canal. Located in Greece, this canal is one of the oldest man-made canals in the world.
The Telegraph UK published an article on it in October 2019 titled, “The inside story of a record-breaking cruise through the Corinth Canal – a journey that was two years in the planning.” As did the Daily Mail UK.
PM Modi’s Ro-Ro Ferry Initiative
As for the other part of the claim which says PM Modi started a ship service connecting Bhavnagar and Bharuch districts in Gujarat, it is true, but old news.
In October 2017, PM Modi inaugurated the first phase of Roll-On-Roll-off (Ro-Ro) ferry service between Bharuch’s Dahej and Bhavnagar’s Ghogha. This was just weeks before the state assembly elections.
As per a video shared by PM Modi in 2017, this ferry would reduce travel time between the districts from eight hours to one hour (360km to 31km). Further, the ferry vessel shall transport 70-80 trucks or 100 light-weight motor vehicles with 500 passengers. You can read other tweets by PM Modi on the same occasion here.
After the ferry was suspended due to dredging issues in Dahej, the Adani firm recently won the bid to provide Ro-Ro ferry service between Hazira in Surat and Ghoga in Bhavnagar district.
Conclusion
Our research makes it clear that the ferry service connecting Bhavnagar and Bharuch districts in Gujarat is not a new or recent initiative. Also contrary to the distance claimed, the Ro-Ro ferry reduced it from 360km to 31km. The ferry’s capacity figures are misleading as well. Finally, the accompanying video is in fact of the Braemar cruise in Corinth Canal, Greece.
Result: Misleading
Our Sources
Amazing Greece: https://twitter.com/Amazing_Greece/status/1182560844762308608?s=20
Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPkrmTELao8
Marine Insight: https://www.marineinsight.com/know-more/the-corinthian-canal-a-narrow-man-made-shipping-canal/
The Telegraph UK: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/articles/corinth-canal-largest-cruise-ship-braemar/
Times of India: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/rajkot/pm-modi-inaugurates-his-dream-project/articleshow/61177505.cms
PM Narendra Modi: https://twitter.com/search q=ghogha%20dahej%20ferry%20(from%3Anarendramodi)&src=typeahead_click
Indian Express: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/ahmedabad/adani-firm-wins-ro-ro-terminal-bid-for-hazira-offers-lease-of-rs-1-month-6489009/
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