All you need to know about newly introduced ferry service between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka

Take a quick recap on the newly introduced ferry service between India and Sri Lanka. All you want to know about fare and luggage booking charges, distance, travel time and others.

Nagapattinam (Tamil Nadu): After a gap of four decades, a ferry service between Nagapattinam port in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Sri Lanka was reintroduced on Saturday. Union Minister for Ports, Shipping & Waterways and AYUSH Sarbananda Sonowal flagged off the ferry service named 'Cheriyapani' between Tamil Nadu's Nagapattinam and Sri Lanka's Kankesanturai. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also joined the inaugural event virtually.

Here is a quick recap on fare, luggage booking charges, distance, travel time and others.

What will be the cost of travel?

The fare for the cruise per person will be Rs 6,500 + 18% GST totaling around Rs 7,670. However, a discount of 75 per cent on the fare was announced for the first maiden journey between Tamil Nadu seaport to Sri Lankan port. During the inaugural journey, the fare will be around Rs 2,375 + 18% GST per person. This discounted fare will be available to travellers for October 14 only, as per the orders of the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). Altogether 35 people have booked tickets to undertake the journey.

The permissible limit for carrying luggage

A passenger can carry a luggage weighing up to 50 kg. The separate rooms or facilities have been earmarked for passport clearance, medical examination, security checks and inspection of luggage that the passengers will be supposed to carry while traveling to Sri Lanka. Besides, the officials deputed at Nagapattinam port have undergone special training in New Delhi to handle various tasks such as checking passports, inspecting luggage and others.

The ferry service will run for ten days only

The high-speed craft (HSC) 'Cheriyapani' was designed and developed by the Shipping Corporation of India's Kochi port dockyard in Kerala. The high-speed vessel has the capacity to carry 150 passengers and is fully air-conditioned. The newly introduced ferry service will remain in operation for 10 days only before the onset of the northeast monsoon season in the Bay of Bengal. It will not be possible to run the ferry service on choppy sea waters due to inclement weather conditions. The ferry service will be put on hold for a few months again to resume its journey afterward.