Cargo ferry services between Cochin, India and Kulhudhuffushi, Maldives have been launched.
The maiden voyage of the cargo ferry between India and Maldives commenced with the departure of cargo ferry vessel MCP Linz operated by the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI). The cargo ferry service between India and the Maldives was jointly launched on Minister of State for Shipping of India Shri Mansukh L. Mandaviya and Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation of the Maldives Aishath Nahula at a virtual ceremony. The ceremony was also attended by representatives from Tuticorin and Cochin ports, as well as officials from the Maldives Ports Limited (MPL) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Maldives.
The cargo ferry vessel MCP Linz operated by SCI will connect Tuticorin and Cochin ports in India with Kulhudhuhfushi and Male’ ports in the Maldives. The vessel is expected to arrive in Kulhudhuhfushi on September 26 and Male’ on September 28.
The MCP Linz is a combination vessel which can carry 3000 metric tonnes of cargo, and will have a turnaround time of 10-12 days for its voyages. The local agent for the Kulhudhuffushi-Cochin cargo ferry service is the recently established national shipping line, Maldives State Shipping (MSS).
The government has stated the introduction of cargo ferries between Kulhudhuffushi and Cochin will bring many commercial benefits to the northern atolls and help to introduce Maldivian products to the Indian and international market.