MUMBAI, Sept 19 (NNN-PTI) – India’s state-owned Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), will commence new direct vessel service to the Maldives from Monday, the company said.
It will be a container and break-bulk cargo service, with the support of the country’s shipping and external affairs ministry, the company said.
The maiden voyage by SCI, the country’s largest shipping company, operating one-third of India’s shipping tonnage with annual revenue of 602 million U.S. dollars, will be flagged off from Tuticorin port — 586 km South of Bengaluru.
In June, 2019, a memorandum of understanding was signed between the two countries, to start a direct passenger-cum-cargo ferry service, to provide an alternative, direct and cheaper means of transport for goods and passengers and to further economic, social and cultural ties between the two nations.
According to an SCI official, the container cum break-bulk vessel will carry 200 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU’s) and 3,000 metric tonnes of break bulk cargo, with a round voyage of 10 days.
The trade cargo would include electrical machinery and equipment, white goods like televisions and home appliances, drugs, steel products, construction material, sand, garments and textiles, bathroom fittings and furniture and perishables, including fruits, vegetables, eggs and food grains, the official said.– NNN-PTI
