The ferry service would connect Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, India, to Kankesanthurai in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, and the journey time between the two locations is projected to be three hours. The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) will be in charge of managing the operation, and official materials for the project emphasize that its primary objective is to provide residents in India and Sri Lanka with travel options that are more affordable so that they may go to Jaffna and Tamil Nadu.
As of today, the long-awaited passenger ferry service between India and Sri Lanka will finally begin its journey across the Indian Ocean. It will represent a major milestone more than a decade after the first proposal and the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the two countries.
It is anticipated that it would take three hours to travel between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu, India, and Kankesanthurai in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, using this new ferry route that will link the two cities. The Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) will be in charge of the operation, and SCI papers stress the possibility that the service would make it possible for people from both India and Sri Lanka to go to Jaffna and Tamil Nadu at a price that is more manageable for their budgets.
Cheriyapani is the name that has been given to the vessel that will be providing this ferry service. Even though the cost of tickets has not been released, travelers will be allowed to bring up to 40 kg of baggage without incurring any extra fees. EV Velu, the Minister for Public Works for the state of Tamil Nadu, has affirmed that the state government would be actively involved in this endeavor. He also emphasized that the ferry has the capacity to carry up to 150 people.
The revitalization of ancient maritime linkages that date back to the early 1900s is what this effort aims to accomplish. The Indo-Ceylon Express, which had previously transported passengers between Chennai and Colombo through the port of Thoothukudi, halted operations in 1982 as a direct result of the civil conflict that was taking place in Sri Lanka. Following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two nations in 2011 regarding passenger transportation, the decision was made to restore ferry services.
In 2011, at a time when Sri Lanka was working to improve its image as a nation that produces refugees, the concept of this ferry service was originally floated as a possible solution to the country’s image problem. At that time, there was discussion over the possibility of establishing two different services: one would link Thoothukudi and Colombo, while the other would link Rameswaram and Talaimannar.
Before the civil war in Sri Lanka broke out, the ferry service that ran between Dhanushkodi, which is close to Rameshwaram, and Talaimannar was one of the most successful in the world. At the Egmore railway station in Chennai, passengers originating from Chennai would board the Boat Mail Express in order to go to Rameshwaram. Once there, they would transfer to the ferry. The voyage from there to Talaimannar, which was completed by a coal-powered steam ferry, normally took somewhere in the neighborhood of two hours.
It is anticipated that the establishment of this new ferry service would have a favorable influence on commercial activity, as well as religious tourism and trade, in the coastal districts of both nations. Because of the low cost of the service, it is expected to attract tour operators. This would make it possible for tourists on a budget coming from Tamil Nadu and other regions of India to see important religious sites in Colombo and southern Sri Lanka.
Additionally, Sri Lankan pilgrims would have enhanced access to ancient temple towns such as Madurai, Thanjavur, and Tiruchi in addition to pilgrimage sites such as Nagapattinam, Velankanni, Nagore, and Thirunallar, as well as other destinations outside these cities.
