Jaffna Islets' ferry service to use Indian boats

[TamilNet, Friday, 03 June 2005, 14:57 GMT]
Four of the fifty-two Indian fishing boats seized by the Jaffna High Court for poaching in the northern territorial waters are to be used for transporting passengers between islets of the Jaffna district. A team of engineers of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources recently visited Jaffna to finalise arrangement in this regard, Jaffna Fisheries Department official Mr.T. Tharmalingam said.

These fishing crafts will be converted as passenger vessels on a recommendation by the team of engineers, he added.

Four vessels will be deployed for transporting passengers between Nainativu, Neduntheivu, Analaitivu and Eluvaitheivu in the Jaffna district, sources said.

The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) with the permission of the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources currently uses five Indian boats for their activities. The remaining Indian boats are now kept in Sri Lanka Naval Base in Kankesanthurai under the SLN custody, sources said.