The Indian Shipping Ministry has enquired about the facilities at the Kochi port such as immigration and Customs available at the port as it is of the view that it should be possible to operate a Kochi–Colombo and Colombo–Tuticorin service at an early date.

The port can provide all facilities required for embarkation/disembarkation of passengers as it is already offering such services to Lakshadweep-bound passenger ships, senior sources at the port had told Business Line.

The decision with regard to the proposed ferry service is learnt to have taken at the meeting of the Committee of Secretaries held in New Delhi last month.

The second meeting of the SAARC Transport Ministers Conference held in Sri Lanka had mooted the proposal to start a ferry service from Colombo to Kochi and Tuticorin as part of strengthening trade, social and cultural initiatives among the SAARC states.

The Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation had entered into a MoU with a Sri Lankan firm a few years ago to begin a regular ferry service on the Kochi-Colombo sector which never saw light. The proposal could be reactivated now, an official in KSINC had told ‘The Hindu- Business Line’.