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Kerala News

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Kerala / The New Indian Express

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Dweeps new online platform to make booking ship seats a breeze

KOCHI: The union territory of Lakshadweep is on the cusp of a major digital transformation in its maritime travel sector. The authorities have announced the upcoming launch of a sophisticated, feature-rich passenger ticket booking platform for its lifeline vessel services. Scheduled to go live on December 5, the new system aims to drastically improve the experience for both islanders and tourists by enhancing convenience, transparency, and access to tickets for travel between the islands and the mainland. Ticket booking for all passenger vessels on new portal www.lakshadweep.irctc.co.in will go live from December 5, with the release of tickets for voyages commencing from December 14. However, cargo ticketing will continue to remain on the current NIC portal, the department of port, shipping and aviation (Lakshadweep Administration) said in its latest notice. The IRCTC app Sail to Lakshadweep will also be launched on the day. The vessel service, connecting the archipelagos 10 inhabited islands with each other and the mainland ports like Kochi and Mangaluru, is the primary mode of transportation for the local population and hundreds of tourists. The existing booking process, while functional, is often challenging for users. The new platform, which is an improvement on the current e-ticketing solution, is specifically designed to address the same. The new platform promises a host of added features, enhancing security, user-friendliness, and transparency. Managed by IRCTC (Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation), it facilitates multiple payment options and multilingual support, said Shakeel Ahamed, assistant director (ports), Kavaratti. Once registered, the users will receive timely notifications. There were a lot of complaints regarding live updates of ship services. Sometimes, cancellations need to be done due to factors like weather conditions. The commuters using the app will be given real-time updates regarding the services, besides seat availability. This transparency is expected to significantly mitigate the long-standing issues of ticket scarcity and unauthorised reselling, the official added. A wider array of secure digital payment gateways will be integrated in the ticket booking platform, accommodating credit/debit cards, net banking, and UPI. How to book via app Download the app from Google Play and install Register with basic details to gain access to all services Ship and seat selection: Submit journey details to view available seats and assign to passengers in passenger list Enter contact information and pay securely using preferred payment method to confirm your ticket booking Complete web check-in using registered mobile number and PNR number to add luggage details and download the boarding pass

2 Dec 2025 7:02 am