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DSS Ticket & DSS Ticketing -- what the terms actually mean

"DSS ticket" and "DSS ticketing" both point at the same thing: a government ferry ticket for the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, issued by the Directorate of Shipping Services and booked online through the STARS e-Ticketing portal. This page untangles the terms, says plainly what does and does not exist (there is no separate DSS app), and points you at the detailed booking guide or the private-ferry alternative, whichever you actually need.

Issued by
DSS, A&N Admin
Online channel
STARS e-Ticketing (web only)
Booking opens
2 days ahead
Dedicated app
None found

Open STARS e-Ticketing ↗

In plain terms

What "DSS ticket" means

DSS is the Directorate of Shipping Services, the A&N Administration department that runs government ferries across the islands -- inter-island sailings between Port Blair, Havelock (Swaraj Dweep) and Neil (Shaheed Dweep), long-haul sailings to North Andaman and the Nicobars, and mainland sailings to Kolkata, Vizag and Chennai. A "DSS ticket" is a ticket for one of those sailings. It is not a private ferry ticket -- Makruzz, Nautika and Green Ocean are separate companies with their own booking systems and fares, and a DSS ticket does not work on their vessels or vice versa.

"DSS ticketing" and "DSS e-ticketing" describe the act of booking that ticket online, through the STARS e-Ticketing portal -- STARS being DSS's own name for the reservation system. Searches for "DSS ticket booking", "DSS e ticket" and "star e ticket booking andaman" are all pointing at the same portal and the same process; for the full step-by-step, see the STARS e-Ticketing booking guide.

Checked 10 September 2026

Is there a DSS app? No -- it's the web portal

There is no dedicated DSS or STARS mobile app to install. The STARS e-Ticketing portal at https://dss.andamannicobar.gov.in/eticketing is a website, and that website is the only official online channel -- checked directly on 10 September 2026, the page carries a QR code that opens the same web portal on a phone's browser, not a link to an app store listing.

Login on the portal offers two account types -- Internet User (for the travelling public) and DSS User -- and two ways to sign in: a password, or an OTP sent to the mobile number on your account. If a search for "DSS ticket booking app login" leads you anywhere other than https://dss.andamannicobar.gov.in/, it is not the official channel; use the portal link above.

The actual trade-off

DSS ticket vs a private ferry ticket

A DSS ticket is the cheaper option on paper -- roughly ₹350-920 for an inter-island sailing against roughly ₹1,050-₹4,450 on a private catamaran, checked against live schedules on 26 August 2026. What that price gap buys you is a narrower booking window (exactly 2 days ahead, not before) and a tourist quota that regularly sells out within minutes of the window opening in peak season (October-May). A private ferry ticket is bookable any day, for any date the operator is running, with a live seat count rather than a quota.

If your dates are fixed and you cannot risk missing the STARS window, compare fares and book instantly on the route pages linked below rather than gambling on tourist quota.

Compare Private vs Government Fares

Where to go next

Pick the page that answers your actual question

FAQs

DSS ticket & DSS ticketing -- common questions

A DSS ticket is a passenger ticket for a government ferry sailing in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, issued by the Directorate of Shipping Services (DSS), a department of the A&N Administration. It covers inter-island sectors (Port Blair, Havelock/Swaraj Dweep, Neil/Shaheed Dweep), long-haul sectors to North Andaman and the Nicobars, and mainland sailings. It is a different ticket from a private catamaran ticket (Makruzz, Nautika, Green Ocean) -- different operator, different fare, different booking system.
DSS ticketing (also called DSS e-ticketing) is the online booking of a DSS ferry ticket through the STARS e-Ticketing portal at https://dss.andamannicobar.gov.in/eticketing. STARS stands for the DSS's own ship ticket reservation system; it is the only official online channel, and it is web-based -- there is no separate mobile app (see below).
No dedicated DSS or STARS mobile app is published, checked directly on the portal on 10 September 2026 -- the page shows a QR code to open the same web portal on a phone browser, not a link to an app store listing. Login is on the web portal itself, with two account types, "Internet User" (for the public) and "DSS User", and two ways in: password, or an OTP sent to your registered mobile number. "App login" search results that point anywhere else are not the official channel.
Exactly 2 calendar days before your travel date, not earlier. DSS does not publish a fixed hour the window opens at -- what it does publish is that the portal itself accepts bookings from 00:30 to 23:30 IST every day, so the safest approach is to check the portal early on the day your date becomes bookable rather than wait for a specific time.
Yes -- "STARS ticket" and "DSS e-ticket" describe the same thing: a government ferry ticket booked online through the STARS e-Ticketing portal that DSS operates. "DSS ticket" more broadly also covers tickets bought offline at a DSS counter, which STARS alone does not.
Meaningfully cheaper on paper. Checked 26 August 2026: government (DSS) inter-island fares run roughly ₹350-920 against roughly ₹1,050-₹4,450 for a private catamaran (Makruzz, Nautika, Green Ocean) on the same sectors, live schedules. The gap is the booking window -- 2 days versus instant, any date -- and the tourist quota, which sells out in minutes in peak season. See the comparison below for what that trade actually costs.
Yes -- DSS runs walk-up counters at Phoenix Bay Jetty (for Havelock and Neil Island) and Haddo Wharf (for Long Island, Diglipur, Little Andaman and mainland sailings) in Port Blair. Arrive at least 2 days ahead with cash and photo ID; same-day counter tickets exist but the tourist quota is usually already sold out by then.

Need help?

DSS support contacts

Need seats confirmed, not queued for?

Private catamarans (Makruzz, Nautika, Green Ocean, ITT Majestic) are bookable any date, any time -- no 2-day window, no quota. Live fares in the search bar above.

Compare Private Ferries