India and Sri Lanka on Saturday launched a ferry service across the Palk Strait under a new roadmap for greater connectivity, nearly four decades after the link between Nagapattinam in Tamil Nadu and Kankesanthurai in Jaffna was disrupted by the civil war in the island nation.

The ferry service is expected to boost travel and trade with Kankesanthurai, the Sri Lankan port located closest to ports on India’s west coast. The service is part of the economic partnership vision, a roadmap for maritime, air and energy connectivity, that was finalised during Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to India in July.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Wickremesinghe recalled the age-old cultural and trade links between the two countries and highlighted the importance of connectivity in video messages that were beamed at a ceremony in Nagapattinam.

Describing the ferry as a new chapter in diplomatic and economic ties, Modi said connectivity is the central theme of the economic partnership vision as it enhances trade, tourism and people-to-people contacts. He noted that direct flights between Delhi and Colombo had been launched in 2015 while direct flights between Chennai and Jaffna began in 2019.

“Our vision for connectivity goes beyond the transport sector. India and Sri Lanka collaborate closely in a wide range of areas such as fintech and energy…We are working on fintech sector connectivity by linking UPI and Lanka Pay,” Modi said. “We are connecting our energy grids to enhance energy security and reliability.”

Wickremesinghe said travel across the Palk Strait had helped develop trade and the cultures of both countries. “The connectivity between our two countries was disrupted due to the war in the north. Now peace has returned and we can re-establish the sea connectivity,” he said.

During the civil war in Sri Lanka, Jaffna was a key stronghold of the former Tamil Tiger rebels. The port at Kankesanturai was closed by the Sri Lankan Navy after it was targeted by the rebels, and this disrupted the ferry service to India in the 1980s.

The ferry service, established by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board and the Shipping Corporation of India, takes three to four hours to cover the distance of 110 km between Nagapattinam and Kankesanthurai, depending on sea conditions.

At the request of the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board (TMB), the external affairs ministry sanctioned ₹8 crore for upgrading Nagpattinam port, including dredging the channel and refurbishing the passenger terminal building and approach road.

External affairs minister S Jaishankar said Sri Lanka has benefited from several policies of the Indian government, including the “Neighbourhood First” policy with the focus on connectivity and cooperation. This includes the ferry service, the Chennai-Jaffna flights, and housing projects, cultural centres and hospitals in Sri Lanka.

“In future, we are looking at grid connection, pipeline and economic corridor. And of course, support for all in Sri Lanka to live in equal dignity and equal rights,” he said, in an apparent reference to India’s support for efforts to protect the rights of Sri Lanka’s Tamil minority.

Modi added that several projects for housing, water, health and livelihood support have been completed in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, which has a majority Tamil population. Besides upgrading Kankesanthurai harbour, India has helped restore railway lines connecting north and south Sri Lanka and rolled out an emergency ambulance service across the country, he said.

Union ports, shipping and waterways minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Tamil Nadu public works minister EV Velu flagged off the ferry Cheriyapani from Nagapattinam with 50 passengers and 12 crew members. The vessel can carry a total of 150 people. Travellers can now easily go to northern and eastern Sri Lanka in about four hours, instead of flying to Colombo and then making a road trip of up to 10 hours.

The ferry service will continue till October 23 this year as the onset of the northeast monsoon will make operations difficult. The service will resume during fair weather in January 2024.

While a ferry service had been launched between Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo in May 2011, it was suspended about six months later because of lack of commercial viability and the 10 hours taken to complete the voyage of about 280 km.