The Indo-Lanka ferry service commenced in 1914, connecting Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu with Talaimannar in Mannar in northwest Sri Lanka.
MMBL-Pathfinder Group along with Aitken Spence and Norled AS a leading ferry operator in Norway will set up a consortium and jointly invest to re-launch the much talked about ferry service connecting Tamil Nadu with Sri Lanka.
As a first step, the joint venture proposes to establish a passenger and cargo ferry connection between Colombo and Tuticorin.
In the second stage, the project seeks to re-establish the Talaimannar-Rameshwaram ferry link after a lapse of three decades. Finally, the consortium will expand the Colombo- Tuticorin ferry service to Kochi, the major port city in the state of Kerala, depending on the demand.
Over the years, there has been a steady growth of tourism with 316,000 Indians and 225,000 Sri Lankans visiting the two countries in 2015.
The joint venture partners are of the view that a comfortable ferry service at regular intervals, low cost tickets and attractive free baggage allowances will entice a good a percentage of air travellers to modern ferries that will offer on board duty free shopping, entertainment and other facilities.
The consortium has already completed a pre-feasibility study and are currently engaged in undertaking a feasibility study and have also carried out negotiations with the authorities concerned to getting approval for recommencing the ferry connection with India and Sri Lankan authority.
Connectivity between the two countries is strongly encouraged by the two governments. The proposed ferry services would undoubtedly help revivestrong religious and cultural bonds the island enjoyed with Kerala and Tamil Nadu for centuries.
The Indo-Lanka ferry service commenced in 1914, connecting Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu with Talaimannar in Mannar in northwest Sri Lanka. The two railway lines connecting Chennai (Madras) with Colombo enabled countless number of passengers to move between the two countries for over 70 years in pursuit of their vocations, until the railway link was disrupted in the mid 1980s due to the conflict.
MMBL-Pathfinder Group have affiliated companies in Sri Lanka and abroad and focus on financial services, aviation, travel and leisure, logistic solutions, property and project development and promotion of international brands while Norled AS, one of the largest ferry operators in Norway, which has a fleet of 50 car and passenger ferries and 30 large express boats operate along the coast and fjords of Norway.
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