COLOMBO, May 6:
The passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in India and Kankesanthurai (KKS) suburb of Jaffna district in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka is set to resume on May 13, the Indian High Commission said on Monday.
The service, which had been launched in October last year after nearly 40 years, was halted a few days later owing to rough weather.
“Strengthening maritime connectivity between India and Sri Lanka was a vital component of the vision document for economic partnership jointly adopted during the visit of the president of Sri Lanka to India in July 2023. The resumption of the ferry service is an affirmation of the people-centric policies of the Government of India,” the high commission said in a statement.
Among India’s future connectivity plans with Sri Lanka are the electricity grid interconnection, two-way multipurpose pipeline, and setting up a land connectivity economic corridor, the statement added.
India has also extended a grant assistance of USD 63.65 million — the entire project cost — to Sri Lanka to rehabilitate the Kankesanthurai Port in the Northern Province.
“This is in keeping with India’s strong commitment to Sri Lanka’s economic recovery, and its march towards progress and prosperity, along with and in close collaboration with India,” the statement said.
Situated in the northern region of Sri Lanka, the Kankesanthurai Port or the KKS Port, with an area of approximately 16 acres, is located at a distance of 104 kilometres (56 nautical miles) from Karaikal Port in Pondicherry.
The direct passenger 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.
The ferry service will be operated by a private operator, IndSri Ferry Services, selected by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI) in consultation with the Government of Sri Lanka (GOSL). (Agencies)
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