High speed passenger ferry service between India-Lanka resumes after 4 decades

A high speed passenger ferry service between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu to Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka was resumed on Saturday, (October 14) after a gap of 40 years.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Water Ways, Sarbananda Sonowal and Tamil Nadu Minister for Public Works and Ports, E.V. Velu flagged off the ferry service from Nagapattinam port on Saturday.

The Union minister in his inaugural address said that the operation of ferry service would increase the cultural ties between Tamil Nadu and the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. He also said that several pilgrims from Sri Lanka would be benefitted given the proximity of Nagapattinam to religious centres like Thiruvanallur, Nagore and Velankanni.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe hailed the launch of high speed ferry service between the two nations through video messages.