Andaman to launch cruise service to India’s only active volcano

The Andaman and Nicobar administration would soon launch a round-voyage cruise service from Port Blair to India's only active volcano at Barren Island, an official said.

The service from Port Blair would provide a unique experience to tourists, offering them spectacular views of the lone active volcano in the Indian sub-continent, the official said.

Nearly 140 km away from Port Blair by sea, the Barren Island an uninhabited Island lies at the junction of the Indian and Burmese tectonic plates. The total area of Barren Island is 8.34 sq km and the nearest habitation is Swaraj Dweep (Havelock Island) and Narcondam Look-out-Post (LoP), which is nearly 140-150 km respectively from Barren Island.

According to data available in the Andaman and Nicobar administration's archives, the first eruption at Barren Island took place in 1787, followed by mild eruptions in 1991, 2005, 2017 and 2022. The most recent one occurred on September 13 and 20 of this year.

Commissioner shipping and managing director of Andaman and Nicobar Islands Integrated Development Corporation Limited (ANIIDCO), Chanchal Yadav, said, "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 Port Blair."

"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 Port Blair. 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 from Haddo Wharf in Port Blair, and it will reach the vicinity of Barren Island on Saturday early morning.