From Slow Boats to Speedboats: The Story of Ferry Travel in the Andaman Islands
Before Makruzz. Before Nautika. Before online ferry tickets and air-conditioned catamarans.
There was another way to travel around the Andaman Islands.
It was slower.
It was sometimes crowded.
It could take a very long time.
And, if you believe the stories told by people who remember those days, you might find yourself sharing the journey with a chicken, a goat, or perhaps both.
But there was something rather wonderful about it.
Because before the Andamans became one of India's favourite tropical destinations, the sea was not something you crossed to get to your holiday.
The sea was the highway.
And here at Forest Elephant, where we are lucky enough to live amongst the forests, paddy fields and beaches of Havelock Island, we sometimes think about how dramatically that highway has changed.
So, before you board your next Port Blair to Havelock ferry, let's take a little journey backwards.
The Andamans Before Tourism: When the Sea Was the Road
Look at a map of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and you immediately understand why boats have always mattered.
The islands are scattered across the Bay of Bengal, separated by stretches of beautiful—but sometimes formidable—sea.
There were no roads connecting Port Blair to Havelock.
There was no bridge.
There was certainly no taxi.
If you wanted to go somewhere, you went by boat.
During the British period, ships and smaller vessels were essential to life in the islands. Port Blair's harbour became the centre of an intricate network carrying people and supplies between the islands and the mainland.
These were working boats, not holiday ferries.
They carried officials, workers, mail, food, equipment and all the things necessary to keep remote island communities functioning.
And the journeys weren't designed around a tourist's two-week holiday itinerary.
They were simply island life.
The Journey Got You There… Eventually
After Independence, government shipping continued to be the lifeline connecting the islands.
And if you think today's Andaman ferry journey can occasionally feel like a leisurely experience, spare a thought for the passengers of several generations ago.
There was no expectation of getting from Port Blair to Havelock in around 90 minutes.
Journeys between islands could take several hours, depending on the vessel, route, stops and weather.
The boat wasn't just carrying passengers.
It was carrying the island.
Imagine arriving at the jetty with everything you needed to take to another island.
Bags.
Food.
Boxes.
Supplies.
Perhaps some produce.
And, according to the stories passed down by islanders, occasionally some livestock.
The idea of travelling with chickens or goats might sound slightly extraordinary to today's traveller sitting comfortably inside a modern catamaran.
But when the boat was the main connection between communities, the distinction between passenger and cargo was rather less complicated.
If it needed to get to the next island, it went on the boat.
Havelock by Boat: The 1960s, 70s and 80s
This is where the history gets particularly interesting.
An old Government of India report from 1981 gives us a wonderful snapshot of the inter-island ferry network at the time.
The report lists a number of vessels operating around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including M.V. Choura, M.V. Sentinel, M.V. Onge and T.S.S. Yerewa.
It also records a smaller-vessel service operating between Port Blair and Rangat, stopping at several island ports—including Neil, Havelock, Baratang, Kadamtala, Long Island, Elphinstone Harbour and Strait Island.
Among the vessels listed on those routes were:
M.V. Triveni
M.V. Narmada
M.V. Little Andaman
M.V. Yamuna
M.V. Gomati
M.V. Teressa
M.V. Kondul
These names are a little piece of Andaman history.
And we rather like imagining what it must have been like to board one of them.
No digital boarding pass.
No "Please arrive at the terminal 30 minutes before departure."
No premium lounge.
Just you, your luggage and the knowledge that the sea—and the captain—were in charge.
The 1981 report describes these smaller vessels as serving the daily needs of the people of Port Blair and the nearby islands. In other words, these weren't simply tourist boats.
They were the island bus service.
Only wetter.
And considerably more scenic.
The Ferry Was the Supermarket, Bus and Delivery Truck
Today, if you forget something on your trip to Havelock, you can probably find it somewhere on the island.
But imagine island life when supplies had to arrive by sea.
The boats connected communities with food, household necessities, building materials and other essential supplies.
People travelled between islands for work, family, government business and everyday life.
The ferry was therefore much more than transport.
It was a social space.
People met each other.
News travelled.
Stories travelled.
And, inevitably, someone probably knew someone you knew.
Island communities have always been good at making connections.
The ferry simply gave them several hours in which to do it.
Then Something Changed: Tourists Arrived
For a long time, visiting the Andamans was not exactly the easy holiday it is today.
The islands were remote.
Travel required planning.
And the sea journey was very much part of the adventure.
But gradually, the extraordinary natural beauty of the islands began attracting more visitors.
The beaches.
The forests.
The coral reefs.
The clear water.
The feeling of being somewhere genuinely far away.
And Havelock Island began appearing on the travel map.
Today, of course, we know it as Swaraj Dweep.
And suddenly the ferry had a new kind of passenger.
The tourist.
Backpacks appeared.
Then cameras.
Then snorkels.
Then waterproof phone cases.
And eventually, the inevitable question:
"How much longer until we reach Havelock?"
Welcome to the Age of the Catamaran
Today, travelling from Port Blair to Havelock Island is a very different experience.
Private operators such as Makruzz and Nautika offer modern high-speed catamarans, while government ferries continue to connect Havelock/Swaraj Dweep and other islands as part of the wider inter-island transport network.
And thank goodness for a few modern inventions.
Air conditioning.
Comfortable seats.
Large windows.
Toilets.
Online bookings.
And, importantly, a considerably lower chance of finding yourself sitting beside a goat.
The journey itself has become part of the Andaman holiday experience.
You leave Port Blair behind and watch the city gradually disappear.
The water changes colour.
Little islands appear in the distance.
Flying fish can sometimes skim across the surface.
And if you're lucky, dolphins may make an appearance.
The ferry ride is no longer simply something you have to endure before your holiday begins.
It is the beginning of the holiday.
And Yet… the Sea Hasn't Changed
For all the technology, one thing remains gloriously old-fashioned.
The sea is still in charge.
The Andaman weather can change.
The wind can rise.
The sea can become rough.
And ferry schedules can sometimes be affected by conditions.
That's island life.
You learn to leave a little room in your plans.
And perhaps that's not such a bad thing.
Because one of the things we love about living in the Andamans is that the islands still encourage you to slow down.
At Forest Elephant, we are tucked away in the quieter Kalapathar area of Havelock, amongst jungle and paddy fields and close to the beach. We like to think that this slower rhythm is part of the island experience.
You wake up to birds instead of traffic.
You walk rather than rush.
You watch the weather rather than simply checking an app.
And when you sit on a ferry crossing the Andaman Sea, you have somewhere between an hour and a couple of hours in which you don't have to do very much at all.
Look out of the window.
It is surprisingly good for you.
The Old Andaman Is Still Out There
If you spend enough time on Havelock, you'll notice that the old and new Andamans exist side by side.
There are modern ferries and old fishing boats.
There are busy tourist areas and quiet village roads.
There are visitors arriving with underwater cameras and islanders who have spent their lives reading the sea.
There are new resorts, but there are still forests, paddy fields and stretches of beach where the loudest thing you hear may be a bird.
And there are stories.
Lots of stories.
Ask someone who has lived here for decades about the old days and you may hear about journeys that took hours, boats that carried everything imaginable, storms, unexpected delays, favourite captains, crowded decks—and, perhaps, that famous chicken or goat.
We can't promise every story is entirely accurate.
But then again, island stories have their own way of growing.
And perhaps that's part of the charm.
Your Ferry Journey Is Part of the Story
So, the next time you book your Andaman ferry from Port Blair to Havelock, don't think of it as simply getting from one jetty to another.
You're travelling on the same stretch of sea that has connected these islands for generations.
The boats are faster.
The seats are more comfortable.
The tickets are digital.
But the view outside the window is still the Andaman Sea.
And somewhere out there, beneath those impossibly blue waters, the coral reefs and fish carry on with their own ancient routines, completely unconcerned with ferry timetables.
That is the wonderful thing about the Andamans.
Some things change very quickly here.
And some things don't change at all.
So settle into your seat.
Look out the window.
Watch for flying fish.
Keep an eye open for dolphins.
And enjoy the journey.
Because whether you're travelling on an old government vessel, a modern catamaran, or one of the many boats that keep island life moving every day—the sea is still the road.
And here in the Andamans, it's a pretty spectacular road to travel.
