Direct cargo ferry service between India and Maldives starts today

New Delhi [India], September 21 (ANI): Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Shipping Mansukh Mandaviya and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of Maldives, Aishath Nahul jointly e-launched a direct cargo ferry service between India and the Maldives, said the Ministry of External Affairs on Monday.
According to the statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry, during its maiden voyage, a vessel with a capacity of 200 TEU and 3000 MT of breakbulk cargo would sail from Tuticorin to Kochi today, from where it will proceed to Kulhudhuffushi port in North Maldives and then to Male port.
"It is scheduled to reach Kulhudhuffushi on September 26, 2020 and Male on September 29, 2020. This ferry service, being operated by the Shipping Corporation of India, will run twice a month and will provide a cost-effective, direct and alternative means of transportation of goods between India and Maldives," the ministry added.
Mandaviya noted that this service is another milestone in the comprehensive bilateral relations between India and Maldives. "He mentioned that this direct cargo service will further cement the close ties between India and Maldives by enhancing people-to-people contact and boosting bilateral trade," the statement from the ministry added.
The Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of Maldives, Aishath Nahula "expressed deep appreciation" for the launch of the service as reflective of the close ties of friendship and cooperation between India and Maldives.
"The launch of this service concretely fulfils the commitment made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Maldives in June last year and the announcement made by External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar during his virtual meeting with the Foreign Minister of Maldives on August 13, 2020," the ministry said further. (ANI)