Big Connectivity Boost For Andaman And Nicobar Islands As It Gets A 150-Tonne Ship To Move People And Cargo

In a big connectivity boost for the Andaman & Nicobar (A&N) Islands, state-owned Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) has supplied the Union Territory (UT) with a 150-tonne cargo ship with the capacity to also carry 500 passengers, reports Livemint.

The development comes as a part of the Government's push to add new ships to the transportation fleet which would improve the connectivity between the mainland and the group islands.

The Government plans to dedicate four passenger vessels in the UT under a total "Make in India" order worth Rs 1,400 crore. The construction of another ship with the capacity to carry 500 passengers is presently under the advanced stage of construction. The ship is also likely to join the fleet in the current year itself. Apart from this, the other two ships will have a capacity of carrying 1,200 passengers each.

It should be noted that other than this, the Government has also tasked state-run National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) to build bridges and roads at an investment of around Rs 3,000 crore in the UT to improve connectivity.

The developments also gain significance as A&N Islands is home to India's only tri-service command. It is located at the entrance to the Malacca Strait which is the world's busiest shipping route.