Long-time dream of expatriates coming true; service expected to start in January 2025

KOCHI: Sailing from Kerala to the Gulf region has been an age-old dream of expatriates. According to the latest reports, the Kerala Maritime Board is hoping that this dream will come true soon. Two companies, Kozhikode-based Jabal Ventures Private Limited and Chennai-based White Shipping have come forward to express their interest in the service from Kerala to the Gulf.
The Shipping Corporation of India and the Maritime Board had held an online meeting with the two companies last month to inform about the next steps. Currently, Kerala is considering ships that can carry 600 to 700 people at a time. However, the main challenge is to find this type of ship. The companies are directed to apply to the Director General of Shipping for a license along with complete documents as per the Merchant Shipping Act after finding suitable vessels.
Kerala is mainly considering the number of passengers. Along with that, there are other criteria to be followed. The Maritime Board says that if things go well, it will take up to four months for the process including booking for the voyage to be ready. One of the two companies that came forward had found a 600-passenger vessel but could not proceed with it because it could not meet certain other criteria.
Expatriates are also hopeful that the service will put an end to the loot of airlines to some extent, even though the travel time is longer than that of flights. During holidays and festive seasons, various airlines charge up to five times more than the ticket prices sold during the off-season.