Sri Vijaya Puram: Those planning a vacation to the Andamans can now add a cruise to Barren Island to their itinerary.
The Andaman and Nicobar Administration has announced a round cruise to India’s only active volcano. There was a mild eruption on Barren Island on September 20, offering spectacular views to sailors on passing ships.
The cruise will now offer tourists as well as islanders a unique experience of getting close to the volcano that is located nearly 140 km from Sri Vijaya Puram. Barren Island has an area of 8.34 square km and is uninhabited. It lies on the junction of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates, the movement of which caused the massive earthquake in 2004, triggering devastating tsunamis that claimed thousands of lives.
According to Chanchal Yadav, commissioner, shipping and managing director of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO), the initiative to boost tourism was taken by the Directorate of Shipping Services, under the directives of the Andaman and Nicobar Administration.
“We have decided to commence round-voyage cruise service fortnightly to Barren Island from Sri Vijaya Puram. The round voyage to Barren Island will operate fortnightly, subject to weather conditions. The service will commence its inaugural voyage on October 24 from Haddo Wharf in Sri Vijaya Puram. This will be a round trip from Port Blair to Barren Island and back with no disembarkation at Barren Island,” she said.
The cruise will depart fortnightly on every Friday at 9 pm and reach the vicinity of Barren Island early morning on Saturday. After going around the island for those on board to get a full view of the volcano, the ship will start back for Sri Vijaya Puram at 8 am and reach Haddo Wharf around 4 pm.
The cruise will offer four categories of accommodation, including Coral Suite (2 berth accommodation), Reef Suite (four berth), Island Breeze (six berth) and Lagoon (16/24 berth dormitory).
The Coral Suite and Reef Suite will cost around Rs 8,310 and Rs 6,340 per person respectively, while Island Breeze and Lagoon will cost around Rs 4,290 and Rs 3,180 per head.
Yadav has said that the response has been phenomenal so far. All the Coral and Reef Suites berths are sold out. While Island Breeze is 50 per cent sold out, 21 berths of the 346 seats at dormitories have been sold so far.
Passengers will have to pay Rs 2,000 extra for food for the entire round voyage. This will cover bed tea/breakfast, lunch, snacks and high tea.
For years now, the Andaman and Nicobar Administration has been trying new ways to attract more tourists to the archipelago. This includes opening of new islands for tourists. This new cruise will help attract tourists, officials believe.
Travellers can book their tickets for this voyage online via the Directorate of Shipping Services e-ticketing portal (https://dss.andamannicobar.gov.in/eticketing).
