After a long hiatus, the passenger ferry service between Tamil Nadu and Northern Sri Lanka is set to restart yet again.
The passenger ferry service will re-commence on May 13, between Nagapattinam Port in Tamil Nadu and the Northern Sri Lankan Port of Kankesanthurai.
The distance between these ports is approximately 64 nautical miles, with a travel time of around four hours, depending on the speed of the vessel and prevailing sea conditions.
The resumption of passenger ferry service is significant in very many ways. Firstly, it will pave the way for fostering people-to-people connect with Tamils in Sri Lanka. Long-time observers of ethnic problems in Sri Lanka feel that people-to-people connect is so essential to bridge the trust deficit with the Sri Lankan Tamils.
Secondly, the ferry service also assumes considerable importance in the context of expanding ambition of Beijing in the island nation, including the Northern parts of Sri Lanka. From a geopolitical angle, the resumption of ferry service, according to observers, has a larger security connotation for New Delhi.
The passenger ferry service will be run by IndSri Ferry Services Pvt.
IndSri Holdings Pte, incorporated in Singapore, will hold 98% of the shares of IndSri Ferry Services Pvt., which will be the primary ferry operator, managing the daily operations of the ferries.
S Niranjan Nanthagopan, his family and friends are the promoters of IndSri Holdings.
The company has already obtained all the required clearances for the ferry service from the Government of India, Tamil Nadu state government and the Sri Lankan government.
In an interaction with this correspondent, Nanthagopan said the project involved an investment of $1.5 million. Fielding a range of questions, he said that IndSri Ferry Services had initialled an investment tie-up with the Thiruchi-based promoters of Subham Freight Carriers India Pvt.
The company has already charter-hired the vessel, which was acquired from Andaman. The vessel is expected to arrive on Sunday. And, the maiden ferry service between Nagapattinam Port in Tamil Nadu and the Northern Sri Lankan port of Kankesanthurai is slated for May 13.
Nanthagopan said the ferry would have a capacity to carry on-board 150 people. The travel cost, according to him, would be nearly 50% lower than the cost of air travel.
History Of The Ferry Services
In the pre-independence era, there was a passenger ferry service between Tamil Nadu and Northern Sri Lanka. The service, however, was stopped when both countries gained independence in the late 1940s and became independent administrations that required passports and visas for travel.
Post-Independence, there was a passenger ferry service that operated until 1983 between Rameshwaram and Thalai Mannar. This, too, was discontinued due to ethnic violence and civil war that existed in the island nation until 2009.
The resumption of ferry service must be read in the context of the renewed interest shown by both the governments of India and Sri Lanka to re-establish sea connectivity to promote the economic development of both sides of the Palk Straits—which is separated by only about 20 km at its narrowest point.
New Delhi has funded the redevelopment of Nagapattinam Port, with much-required dredging and the addition of the passenger terminal. The government of Sri Lanka has also developed the Kankesanthurai to handle passenger traffic.
The passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai could help boost the flow of cultural and religious tourists between the two nations. Both countries boast a rich cultural heritage and offer a wide range of experiences, including ancient temples and significant historical sites. The ferry service could be a boon to leisure travelers. More than anything else, the ferry service could facilitate a more economically viable option for connecting families and friends in both countries.
KT Jagannathan is a senior financial journalist based in Chennai. He has been in business journalism for over three decades, covering corporate developments and critical industry verticals. He is the co-founder of www.carnaticdarbar.com, a news website for Carnatic music, a niche art form.
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