Planning · by ship · last checked 5 October 2026
Andaman by ship: sailings, fares and the honest verdict
The verdict, up front
You can reach the Andamans by ship, and you probably should not. Government passenger ships sail to Port Blair from Chennai, Kolkata and Visakhapatnam. The crossing takes three to four days — 68 hours from Chennai and 94 from Kolkata on the current timetable — there are one or two sailings a month from Chennai and fewer from the other two, and a visitor's one-way fare runs from ₹4,115 for a bunk to ₹15,905 for a deluxe cabin on MV Swaraj Dweep, the ship on every sailing in the current programme, before taxes and port charges. The flight from Chennai takes about two hours. Take the ship if the voyage itself is the experience you want. If you are doing it to save money: on that ship only the bunk can beat a return flight on price, and not always — and a return crossing from Chennai costs you close to six days.
Here is the full picture, taken from the shipping department's own fare order, sailing programmes and enquiry service, all read on 5 October 2026.
First — the ship is not the ferry
These get confused constantly. Ships cross the open sea between the Indian mainland and Port Blair, and take three to four days. Ferries are the inter-island boats inside the Andamans — Port Blair to Havelock to Neil — which take one to two hours and run daily. If you are planning island hopping, you want the ferries, and our how to reach guide covers those. This page is only about the mainland crossing.
The three routes
| From | Time at sea | Sailings, Apr–Oct 2026 | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | About 68 hours (72 back) | 11 | The most frequent: one or two a month, mostly direct on MV Swaraj Dweep. |
| The most frequent: one or two a month, mostly direct on MV Swaraj Dweep. | |||
| Kolkata | About 94 hours (78 back) | 6 | Roughly one a month, with gaps: none in July or September. |
| Roughly one a month, with gaps: none in July or September. | |||
| Visakhapatnam (Vizag) | About three days | 7 | About one a month from April to September; none in August, and none in the programme running to early November. |
| About one a month from April to September; none in August, and none in the programme running to early November. | |||
Sailings are departures towards Port Blair in the tentative programmes and notices the shipping department published for April to October 2026; several were later moved. Hours are the scheduled durations its enquiry service showed on 5 October 2026. No Vizag sailing was listed that day, so that route has dates only.
Sailing dates in the current programme
The shipping department publishes a tentative programme every month or two. The latest was issued on 7 September 2026 and covers MV Swaraj Dweep to 2 November.
| Route | Departs | Arrives |
|---|---|---|
| Port Blair → Chennai | Thu 22 Oct, 10:00 AM | Sun 25 Oct |
| Chennai → Port Blair | Fri 30 Oct, 4:00 PM | Mon 2 Nov |
All sailings are subject to weather, and the department accepts no responsibility for changes to the programme. For the live schedule use its enquiry service or press releases.
Fares for 2026–27
| Class | MV Swaraj Dweep, MV Campbell Bay | Sindhu, Nalanda |
|---|---|---|
| Seat | — | ₹2,950 |
| Bunk | ₹4,115 | ₹4,515 |
| Second class | ₹10,495 | ₹11,535 |
| First class | ₹13,195 | ₹14,520 |
| Deluxe | ₹15,905 | ₹17,485 |
One way, per passenger, at the non-islander fare visitors pay, from the shipping department's Order No. 216 of 26 February 2026, in force since 1 April 2026. Taxes and port charges are extra, and the order does not say how much. The fare is the same from Chennai, Kolkata or Visakhapatnam. Islanders pay less. Every sailing in the current programme is on MV Swaraj Dweep; Sindhu and Nalanda, which sailed the route earlier this year, also sell a seat class.
Vizag to Andaman by ship
Visakhapatnam has no sailing in the programme issued on 7 September 2026, which covers Chennai and Kolkata only. In the programmes for April to September it had seven — about one a month, with none in August. The last left Vizag at 4 PM on Saturday 5 September and was due in Port Blair on Tuesday 8 September, so allow about three days on this route; the enquiry service gave no hour figure for it when we checked. The fare is the same as from the other ports: ₹4,115 one way for a bunk to ₹15,905 for a deluxe cabin on MV Swaraj Dweep, before taxes and port charges. Tickets are sold on the department's e-ticketing portal, and its contact page lists a shipping office in Visakhapatnam. For flights from Vizag, see our how to reach guide.
How booking works
The ships are run by the Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS) of the A&N Administration, and it sells the tickets itself.
- Where. Online on its STARS e-ticketing portal, or at its ticketing counters — 9 AM to 4 PM on working days and 9 AM to 12 noon on Saturdays.
- When. On the date and time the department announces with each programme — not the day the programme comes out. The current one was issued on 7 September and booking opened at 9 AM on 9 September; the one before was issued on 18 July and opened on 20 July. Three Kolkata sailings this year were announced with booking opening between two and seven days before departure. Until a programme and its booking date are out, there is nothing to book.
- ID. A valid photo ID when you book, and the same original when you board. A mismatch is charged at ten times the base fare.
- On the day. Report two hours before sailing. Gates close 30 minutes before.
- Cancelling. Tickets booked online are cancelled online, and not within two hours of sailing. The department refunds in full if it cancels a voyage or delays it by six hours or more.
- Baggage. 55 kg in bunk class and 125 kg in cabin classes on the mainland ships.
- Availability. Check berths on the enquiry service before you plan around a date. On 5 October 2026 it showed 621 bunk, 39 second-class, 52 first-class and 7 deluxe berths open on the 30 October sailing from Chennai — one reading, not a pattern.
Official links: STARS e-ticketing portal · enquiry service.
We are a tour operator that flies its guests in. We do not sell ship tickets or book the ship for guests, and we do not recommend it for a holiday — it takes too long. If you still want to go by sea, book directly with the department.
Ship against flight, honestly
| Compared on | By ship | By flight | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time in transit | About 68 hours from Chennai, 94 from Kolkata | About 2 hours from Chennai | The comparison that decides it. A return crossing is close to six days at sea from Chennai and about seven from Kolkata. |
| The comparison that decides it. A return crossing is close to six days at sea from Chennai and about seven from Kolkata. | |||
| How often it goes | One or two sailings a month from Chennai, fewer from Kolkata and Vizag | Daily from Chennai and Kolkata | A moved sailing can shift your whole trip by a week or more. A missed flight moves it by hours. |
| A moved sailing can shift your whole trip by a week or more. A missed flight moves it by hours. | |||
| Fare | ₹8,230 (bunk) to ₹31,810 (deluxe) return on MV Swaraj Dweep, before taxes and port charges | ₹4,500–13,500 return from Chennai, as of July 2026 | Return for return, only the bunk can be cheaper than flying on this ship, and a cheap flight beats even that. Every cabin costs more than the flight. |
| Return for return, only the bunk can be cheaper than flying on this ship, and a cheap flight beats even that. Every cabin costs more than the flight. | |||
| Booking | Opens on a date the department announces with each programme | Open months ahead | Until a programme and its booking date are out there is nothing to book, so the rest of the trip has to stay flexible. |
| Until a programme and its booking date are out there is nothing to book, so the rest of the trip has to stay flexible. | |||
| If plans change | The programme is tentative; sailings are moved or cancelled | Delayed, then flown | You get a full refund if the department cancels or delays by six hours or more — and then you wait for the next sailing. |
| You get a full refund if the department cancels or delays by six hours or more — and then you wait for the next sailing. | |||
Ship figures are two one-way fares on MV Swaraj Dweep and exclude taxes and port charges; the flight range is our July 2026 return range from the how to reach page. When Sindhu or Nalanda sails the route there is also a seat class at ₹2,950 one way, ₹5,900 return.
What the crossing is like — and why we can't tell you
We have hosted more than 15,000 travellers and hold over 900 Google reviews. Across all of them, not one guest has described taking the mainland ship. Every mention of a "ship" in our reviews turns out to be an inter-island ferry between Port Blair, Havelock and Neil.
We could fill this section with atmospheric writing about sunrise on the Bay of Bengal. We would be making it up. So instead, here is the useful version of that absence: since we started in 2014, the ship has not once been the right answer for a guest of ours. That is not proof it is a bad journey — it is the clearest signal we can honestly give you about how rarely it fits an ordinary trip.
What the record does say: every sailing in the current programme is on MV Swaraj Dweep, which the shipping department lists as its mainland vessel — built in 1999, with room for 1,200 passengers — and it sells four classes: bunk, second class, first class and deluxe. What those are like on board, we cannot tell you.
We have no photograph of the mainland ship, because nobody on our team has taken it. This is one of our inter-island ferries, and the caption says so rather than letting you assume otherwise.
Who should actually do this
People for whom the voyage IS the trip
If three or four days at sea on the Bay of Bengal sounds like the holiday rather than the obstacle, this is a genuinely uncommon experience and you should do it. That is a real reason, and the only one we find convincing.
Travellers who genuinely cannot fly
Medical, personal or otherwise. The ship exists and it works. Give yourself a lot of schedule slack at both ends.
Anyone trying to save money
This is the common reason and the weakest one. On MV Swaraj Dweep only the bunk can undercut flying — ₹8,230 return before taxes and port charges, against the ₹4,500–13,500 we list for a Chennai return flight, so a cheap flight beats even that — and every cabin class costs more than the flight. Once you count the days, the flight wins.
Anyone on a normal holiday timeline
On a week off, the round trip at sea eats close to six days from Chennai, and more from Kolkata. You would arrive, turn around and leave. Fly, and spend those days on a beach.
Ship questions, answered straight
How long does the ship from Chennai to Port Blair take?
About 68 hours — close to three days at sea — on the timetable the shipping department's enquiry service showed on 5 October 2026; the return to Chennai is scheduled at 72 hours. Kolkata is longer: 94 hours to Port Blair, nearly four days, and 78 back. From Visakhapatnam the programme shows about three days. For comparison, the flight from Chennai is about two hours. That gap, not the fare, is what decides it for almost everyone: a return crossing from Chennai costs you close to six days of your trip.
How much does the Andaman ship cost?
For 2026–27 a visitor pays ₹4,115 one way for a bunk on MV Swaraj Dweep, ₹10,495 in second class, ₹13,195 in first class and ₹15,905 for a deluxe cabin, before taxes and port charges. When Sindhu or Nalanda sails the route, fares run from ₹2,950 for a seat to ₹17,485 for deluxe. The fare is the same from Chennai, Kolkata or Visakhapatnam, and islanders pay less. These come from the shipping department's fare order in force since 1 April 2026. On MV Swaraj Dweep a bunk both ways is ₹8,230 before taxes and port charges — inside the ₹4,500–13,500 range we list for a Chennai return flight — and every cabin class costs more than flying.
Is there a ship from Vizag to Andaman?
Yes, but not every month. In the shipping department's programmes for April to September 2026, Visakhapatnam had seven sailings to Port Blair, about one a month; the programme issued on 7 September 2026, which runs to early November, has none. The last left Vizag at 4 PM on Saturday 5 September and was due in Port Blair on Tuesday 8 September. A visitor's one-way fare is the same as from Chennai or Kolkata: ₹4,115 for a bunk up to ₹15,905 for a deluxe cabin on MV Swaraj Dweep, before taxes and port charges. Check the department's enquiry service for the next Vizag date.
What is the Kolkata to Port Blair ship schedule?
There is no fixed timetable: the shipping department publishes a tentative programme every month or two. In the one issued on 7 September 2026, MV Swaraj Dweep leaves Port Blair for Kolkata at 8 AM on Wednesday 7 October, and leaves Kolkata for Port Blair at 12 noon on Wednesday 14 October, arriving on Sunday 18 October. Between April and October 2026 we counted six sailings from Kolkata, with none in July or September. It is the longest crossing of the three: 94 hours to Port Blair and 78 back.
How do you book a ship ticket to the Andamans?
Directly with the Directorate of Shipping Services, which runs the ships. Tickets are sold online on its STARS e-ticketing portal and at its ticketing counters. Booking opens on the date and time the department announces with each programme, which is after the programme is published — the September–October 2026 programme was issued on 7 September and booking opened at 9 AM on 9 September. You need a valid photo ID when you book and the same original when you board, and you must report two hours before sailing. We do not sell ship tickets; check dates, fares and berth availability on the department's enquiry service.
Is the Andaman ship worth it?
For most travellers, no — and we would rather say so than sell you a hard trip. The voyage takes three to four days each way, there are one or two sailings a month from Chennai and fewer from the other ports, and on the ship that sails the current programme only the bunk can be cheaper than a return flight. It is worth it for exactly one kind of traveller: the one for whom the sea crossing is the experience they came for. If that is you, it is a genuinely unusual journey and you should take it. If you are doing it to save a few thousand rupees, fly.
Can foreign nationals travel to the Andamans by ship?
The entry rules cover a sea arrival: foreign nationals show their passport and Indian visa at the immigration counter at the Port Blair seaport, just as at the airport. Most nationalities need no Restricted Area Permit for the main tourist islands under the exemption that runs until 31 December 2027. Citizens of Afghanistan, China (including Hong Kong and Macau) and Pakistan, and people of that origin, need a Restricted Area Permit approved in advance by India’s Ministry of Home Affairs — without it, entry is refused. The shipping department's own document list for mainland sailings still names a copy of the passport and a Restricted Area Permit for foreign nationals, so ask it what it needs from your nationality before you book.
Is the ship the same as the ferry between the islands?
No, and this is the most common mix-up we hear. The ships on this page cross the open sea between the Indian mainland and Port Blair, taking three to four days. The ferries people talk about in the Andamans are the inter-island boats — Port Blair to Havelock to Neil — which take one to two hours and run daily. If you are planning island hopping, you want the ferries, not this page.
The practical way to plan
- How to reach Andaman — flights by city, the airport, and the inter-island ferries.
- Packages from Chennai — the port with the most sailings, costed by air instead.
- Permits and entry rules — what Indian and foreign travellers need on arrival.
- What an Andaman trip costs — where the money actually goes, ship or no ship.
How this page stays true
Written by the Tropical Andamans team in Port Blair and re-checked on 5 October 2026 against the Directorate of Shipping Services' own records: fares from its Order No. 216 of 26 February 2026, sailing dates and counts from the tentative programmes it published for April to October 2026, journey times and berth availability from its enquiry service, and booking rules from its website. Programmes change; the dates here are a snapshot, and the page hides sailings once they have left. What we still cannot give you is a first-hand account of the crossing — we do not sell ship tickets and no guest of ours has reported taking one. The answer on foreign nationals arriving by ship uses our shared entry rules, last updated on 25 September 2026.
Still thinking about the ship?
Tell us your dates and where you would sail from. We don't sell ship tickets, but we can tell you whether the sailing dates fit a sensible trip — and if flying makes more sense, we will say that too.
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