Shipping

Scotia Prince to add more features

The passenger ferry service Scotia Prince between Tuticorin in India and Colombo is being well received by passengers of both countries, with just months into its launch.

Given its popularity, the ferry service is set to introduce many new features to its existing string of services on-board.

Scotia Prince, hopes to bring on board a variety of exciting services those who desire to cruise in comfort.

New additions due on board include a Spa with an array of relaxing and rejuvenating treatments, a casino and a coffee shop.

Speaking on the developments of the ferry service Flemingo Liners CEO P K Thimmayya said "We hope to serve our passengers with a rich high seas experience as they travel.

"We are delighted to redefine the travelling experience while embarking on new horizons. As we expand our operations and explore new ventures we invite all passengers to travel with us for an experience like no other," he said.

Flemingo Liners is currently expanding operations and has over 75 Indian agents and 20 Sri Lankan agents on board. While partnering with some of the best agents in the industry, the ferry will sail towards greater horizons.

The service will provide tourists with an international holidaying experience through its new services.

Flemingo Liners is the latest venture from Flemingo Duty Free Shop Pvt Ltd in its quest towards business excellence, through continuous evolution and innovation.

Flemingo liners offer a dynamic and modern approach to travel and destination management.

Flemingo Liners is a ferry passenger and cargo service company promoted by Flemingo Duty Free Shop Pvt. Ltd with Tradex Shipping Co. Pvt. Ltd as its technical partners.

M. V. Scotia Prince is a comfortable, spacious passenger ferry vessel with facilities on board equalling cruise liners. It can carry up to 1044 passengers. There are nine levels aboard the Scotia Prince which contain both inward and outward facing cabins and other facilities like restaurants, bars, lounge areas, etc for the benefit and convenience of passengers.

There are options of economy, deluxe, business, first and special cabins for physically challenged.

Two more Somalis sentenced in piracy case

Two more Somalis were sentenced by a US judge on Tuesday to life in prison on piracy charges in connection with a deadly attack on a yacht in February which killed four Americans.

Mohamud Salad Ali, 35, and Ahmed Sala Ali Burale, 22, were the fifth and sixth defendants to be sentenced in the case in Norfolk, Virginia, before Federal Judge Mark Davis, court documents showed.

Ali pleaded guilty on May 20 to the piracy charge and to a hostage taking resulting in death. He received concurrent life sentences on both charges.

Burale pleaded guilty on May 25 to piracy under the law of nations and received a life sentence.

According to court documents, Ali acknowledged that he served as a leader of the piracy operation, but stated in his plea agreement that he played no role in the murder of the four US citizens. Burale admitted that he joined the pirates for the sole purpose of making money. He also said that when the shooting started, he tried try to stop it by grabbing a shooter's rifle and pushing the barrel upward.

The sentences were the latest in the attack on the Quest yacht. Jean and Scott Adam, Christian missionaries from California, were sailing their vessel around the world and planned to visit sites from India to Crete when they were hijacked by 19 men off the coast of Oman.

According to the Navy, pirates launched a rocket-propelled grenade and, as US forces headed to the hijacked yacht, shot Mr. and Mrs. Adams and their companions, Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay of Seattle.

They became the first Americans to die in the raft of hijackings over recent years off the Somali coast. Most incidents have been resolved through the payment of ransom, albeit sometimes after protracted negotiations.

"The boarding of the Quest by 19 armed and desperate men, unwilling to negotiate and intent on a ransom for the Quest and its crew, set the stage for the violence and tragic murders that followed," said US Attorney Neil MacBride. Washington, (AFP)