THE Colombo-Tuticorin passenger ferry service between Sri Lanka and India, started with much promise in June (TTG Asia e-Daily, June 20, 2011), was suspended indefinitely on November 22 due to being economically unviable.
The service was operated twice a week by India-based Flamingo Liners using the Scotia Princess ship with a capacity of 1,000 passengers. The trip took 14 hours and was the first ferry service between the two countries in more than four decades.
Sunil Obadage, general manager of the state-owned Ceylon Shipping Corporation, the general sales agent in Colombo for the ship operator, said that the operator did not give any reason for the suspension. “However, with only an average of 150 passengers per journey, (we felt that) it was uneconomical for the operator,” he said.
The service was launched under a bilateral agreement between India and Sri Lanka. India is Sri Lanka’s biggest source market for tourists, but even though the fare was cheaper than an airline ticket, it only drew a few passengers.
Obadage said tickets cost Rs12,210 (US$107.20) per round-trip, half the price of airfare from the closest destination in India to Colombo.
S. Jaufer, managing director of Arugam Bay Travels, one of the local travel consultants promoting the service, said he was surprised by the suspension, since there were some 800 passengers lined up for travel in December. “The service has not gotten enough promotion, and Flamingo had promised to update the facilities on board and also launch a new promotion campaign,” he said.
