Nagapattinam-Kankesanthurai passenger ferry service to be relaunched on Aug 16; bookings to open at midnight

CHENNAI: The much-delayed passenger ferry service connecting Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu with the Kankesanthurai (KKS) suburb of Jaffna district in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka is set to commence on August 16, as reported by Thanthi TV.

IndSri Ferry Services Private Limited, the ferry operator, announced that the service bookings will open from midnight today.

There were plans to relaunch it in May but there were delays and it eventually got cancelled.

The service was virtually flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 14 last year with the vessel 'Cheriyapani', after a hiatus of nearly 40 years. It was operated by the Shipping Corporation of India under KPVS Private Limited. It was then halted after about a week, owing to rough weather during the North-East monsoon.

IndSri Ferry Services, a Chennai-based travel operator, then took over the operations of the international service.

The direct passenger ferry ship service connecting Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthurai port near Jaffna covers a distance of 111 kilometres (60 nautical miles) in approximately three and a half hours, depending on sea conditions.

The ferry vessel, named 'Sivagangai' has 150 seats.

In May, it was announced that the ticket fare for a one-way journey from Nagapattinam to Kankesanthurai is USD 50 plus taxes (approximately Rs 4,920). The pricing structure is the same for the return trip. Last year, a one-way ticket cost Rs 6,500 approximately.

Started in 1914 under colonial rule, the service was operated by the Ceylon Government Railway and the South Indian Railway. It was first partially stopped due to a cyclone in 1964, and then came to a complete standstill when the civil war started between the Tamil rebels and the Sri Lankan army in 1984.

Passengers can book tickets on the passenger ferry service from midnight today. Visit http://sailindsri.com/