By: Isuru Parakrama
November 11, Colombo (LNW): Passengers who had booked tickets for the ferry service between Nagapattinam in India and Kankesanthurai (KKS) in Sri Lanka have been fully refunded after the service was suspended due to severe weather conditions.
The disruption began last Thursday (07) as the monsoon season brought hazardous maritime conditions.
S. Niranjan Nandagopan, Director of IndSri Ferry Service Pvt. Ltd, stated that the monsoon’s onset compelled them to halt operations.
Services were cancelled last Friday (08), Saturday (09), and Sunday (10), with future operations subject to weather assessments.
“We haven’t opened bookings beyond 16 November as we monitor weather conditions. Tomorrow’s (12) service is also tentative,” he explained.
Prior to the suspension, the ferry service was nearly operating at full capacity, with most of its 150 seats filled, according to Nandagopan.
He further elaborated on the safety protocols, noting that the company relies on weather forecasts from both Sri Lankan and Indian meteorological agencies, along with private forecasting sources such as the Windy app, to determine if conditions are safe for passenger voyages.
“Wave height and direction forecasts play a critical role in our decision-making process,” he added.
Sri Lanka’s Meteorology Department has also forecasted increased monsoon activity by the end of the month, with rough seas expected in the north due to a developing low-pressure area.
