Ferry services between India and Sri Lanka resumed on Saturday, 40 years after they were halted owing to civil conflict in the island nation, a step Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as a "important milestone" in building bilateral ties.
Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe welcomed the restart of ferry services, saying it would assist boost connectivity, commercial, and cultural ties between the two countries.
The service between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai near Jaffna in Sri Lanka's northern province aspires to reestablish the two countries' ancient nautical relationship.
The Shipping Corporation of India SCI's high-speed ferry has a capacity of 150 passengers and can travel 60 nautical miles (110 kilometers) between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai in roughly 3.5 hours, depending on sea conditions.
The yacht dubbed Cheriyapani made her maiden voyage with 50 passengers to Sri Lanka and would return to India by nightfall with passengers from the island nation. The passengers on the inaugural voyage were overjoyed to be travelling to Sri Lanka.
Prime Minister Modi stated that ferry service between India and Sri Lanka will improve connectivity, stimulate trade, and strengthen the two countries' long-standing relations.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called the historic event a "big step forward for people-to-people contacts between India and Sri Lanka."
Modi remarked in a video message that the event brings these historical and cultural linkages to life.
"Connectivity is more than just linking two cities together. It also brings our countries, people, and hearts closer together," he remarked.
The commencement of a ferry service between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai is a "important milestone" in building relations, according to the prime minister.
Underscoring India and Sri Lanka's shared history of culture, commerce, and civilisation, he stated that Nagapattinam and nearby towns have been known for sea trade with many countries, including Sri Lanka, and the historical port of Poompuhar is mentioned as a hub in ancient Tamil literature.
He also discussed Sangam period literature such as Pattinappalai and Manimekalai, which describe the passage of boats and ships between the two countries.
Modi also mentioned Subramania Bharti's song 'Sindhu Nadhiyin Misai,' which discusses a bridge linking India and Sri Lanka. He claims that the ferry service brings all of those historical and cultural linkages to life.
During President Wickremesinghe's recent visit, a vision document for an economic relationship with the key topic of connectedness was collectively adopted, according to the Prime Minister.
He emphasized that connection improves trade, tourism, and people-to-people ties, while also offering new opportunities for both countries' youth. Modi also mentioned his trip to Sri Lanka in 2015, when direct flights between Delhi and Colombo were introduced.
Wickremesignhe pointed out that the "ferry service is an important step in increasing the connectivity between India and Sri Lanka."
"For thousands of years, people have crossed the Palk Strait to travel from the Indian subcontinent to this island and back again." This is how our cultures evolved. "This is how our trade developed," Wickremesinghe said in a video message at the boat service's opening.
The President stated that the connectivity between "our two countries" had been disrupted due to the war in the north, but that "peace has returned and we can re-establish the sea connectivity," and then thanked Modi and the Indian Shipping Corporation "for their role in re-establishing this connectivity."
The program attempts to resurrect ancient maritime links dating back to the early 1900s. Due to the civil war in Sri Lanka, the Indo-Ceylon Express, which ran between Chennai and Colombo via Thoothukudi, discontinued operations in 1982.
The Government of India assisted the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board in renovating infrastructure at the Nagapattinam port in order for the service to begin. Similarly, the Sri Lankan government built critical infrastructure at the Kankesanthurai port, according to an official announcement.
India's efforts to launch the ferry service are consistent with the government's objective of improving connectivity with neighbors and throughout the Indian Ocean region.
"A direct passenger ferry between Sri Lanka and India will provide an efficient and cost-effective means of travel for the people of the two countries, boost tourism and trade links and strengthen people-to people ties," according to a press statement.
Sarbananda Sonowal, Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, and Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, jointly launched the historic event.
According to the statement, both countries would continue to cooperate toward the start of ferry services between other ports, including the traditional route between Rameswaram and Talaimannar.
State Ministers E V Velu and S Raghupathy also helped to launch the first ferry service.
The historic occasion was termed by Jaishankar as a "significant step forward for people-to-people contacts between India and Sri Lanka."
"It is an affirmation of people centric policies of the Modi government that have helped those in Tamil Nadu and in Sri Lanka's northern province," stated the prime minister.
According to Jaishankar, the administration followed a neighbourhood first strategy and had a long-term approach for nearby nations with a focus on connection, cooperation, and contact. "That's exactly what we are seeking to do through this ferry service," he went on to say.
In terms of future plans, he stated that India is considering grid connections, pipelines, and economic corridors, as well as "support for all in Sri Lanka to live in equal dignity and equal rights."
Sonowal stated that the Centre's current initiative, with the assistance of the Tamil Nadu government, will restore the grandeur of the two countries' sea connectivity.
The all-weather passenger shipping service, according to TN Minister Velu, will boost service between the two countries.
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