India has made changes to the cargo voyages between India and Maldives by chartering a Maldives State Shipping (MSS)
The Indian agent for sending goods to the Maldives chartered the MSS ship Galena, which has the capacity to carry 680 containers.
General goods needed for the Maldives were previously shipped from Tuticorin, India, via Colombo, Sri Lanka. However, from yesterday, changes have been brought to the voyage route such that the goods will be brought to the Maldives directly from the Tuticorin port.
The direct container trips between India and Maldives were inaugurated by the Indian Minister of State for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways, Shantanu Thakur, at a ceremony in India on Friday.
Galena will operate three voyages a month between the Maldives and India. With the new voyages, barge and bulk cargo voyages to the Maldives via Sri Lanka have now been suspended.
Direct container shipping between the Maldives and India has been launched under an agreement signed with the Maldives government during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the Maldives in 2019.
MSS is working to purchase two vessels -- a bulk carrier and a container vessel-- within the first half of this year. The bulk carrier is a cargo ship that can carry 43,000 tons (deadweight), while the container vessel can carry cargo weighing up to 11,000 tonnes (deadweight) in 680 containers.
