Ferry service to Sri Lanka from August 16, bookings to Kankesanthurai begin

TIRUCHY: In a fresh attempt, the passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam and Sri Lanka is all set to commence again from August 16 as all clearances have been obtained by the operator.

The IndSri Ferry Service Private Ltd in an official communication on Monday said that the ferry service would be operated from Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthurai at Jaffna in Sri Lanka.

The ferry, ‘Sivagangai’ has been deployed for the service for which the online booking for passengers would open from midnight on August 12 and the service will start from August 16, the operators said. Though the service was initially planned between Karaikal and Kankesanthurai, subsequently, the route was altered from Nagapattinam as Karaikal port has been focussing on coal shipments, particularly, for industrial purposes, and in that case, it might be risky for the facility to handle passenger services.

After the agreement made between India and Sri Lanka, the Nagapattinam port was readied with an allocation of Rs 3 crore for port modernisation and construction of separate lounges for obtaining citizenship, medical examination, security check and scanning of baggage.

The service was officially inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the trial run in October 2023. The service commenced with the vessel Cheriyapani, thereafter suspended since the climatic conditions were not favourable.

Sources said that there are as many as 150 seats for passengers in addition to 30 crew members. The tickets were fixed at Rs 6,000.