Sri Lanka-India passenger ferry services to resume this week
Posted on January 18th, 2024
Courtesy The Daily Mirror
Colombo, Jan 18 (Daily Mirror) – The passenger ferry service between India’s Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai in Jaffna will be initiated this week, Controller General of Immigration and Emigration I.S.H.J. Ilukpitiya said.
Addressing the media, he said that so far, the initial programmes required to initiate the service have been completed, and immigration officers have already been deployed at the KKS port.
However, the official launch of the ferry service was held on October 2023, as the ‘Cheriyapani’ passenger ferry docked at Kankesanthurai port while resuming the ferry service between the two countries after a 40-year hiatus.
The inaugural voyage of the ‘Cheriyapani’ passenger ferry was commemorated with a plaque exchange.
The ‘Cheriyapani’ is a high-speed vessel owned by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), measuring 35 metres in length and 9.6 metres in beam, with a capacity to accommodate 150 passengers.
The journey from Nagapattinam to Kankesanthurai port takes approximately four hours and is priced at Sri Lankan Rupees 26,750 for a one-way trip and SL Rs. 53,500 for a round trip.