Tamil Nadu Mercantile Board calls for EoI for cruise service between Chennai, Mamallapuram, and Puducherry

A voyage along the coast in the waters of the Bay of Bengal while watching flying fish and spotting dolphins is likely to to become a reality soon with the Tamil Nadu Mercantile Board calling for expression of interest (EoI) to run the service between Chennai, Mamallapuram and Puducherry.The proposed service is primarily oriented towards leisure and tourism traffic between the three destinations, supplemented by the potential for general passenger movement. The large tourist footfall across Tamil Nadu and Puducherry indicates a substantial addressable market; however, the actual ferry demand will depend on tariff, journey time, service reliability, seasonality and the overall passenger experience relative to land-based alternatives. Through the EoI, the Board also additionally seeks the operator’s own views on realistic passenger demand, suitable service frequency, and the vessel capacity best matched to the anticipated traffic.A person, who used to work in cruises, said a route along the open sea would mean the number of days the cruise could be operated would be limited. “We can’t operate too close to the coast due to the depth of the sea bed. Small boats too would be fishing in the region. A cruise along the Buckingham Canal may be a better idea,” he added. Published - November 02, 2026 09:11 pm IST