Dredging issue may delay Vallarpadam project

The inordinate delay in completing the capital dredging work for the Vallarpadam ICTT project may lead to the postponement of the soft launch of the project's operations scheduled for later this month by the terminal operator DP World, reported The Hindu.

Informed sources in the port said that the terminal operator had made it clear to the port that there is no question of shifting its operations to Vallarpadam from the existing Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal until the 14.5m draught is achieved in the ICTT berth basins.

DP World had already erected four super panamax quay cranes and the final stages of construction work are going on according to schedule. Besides, 11 rubber-tyred gantries are waiting in the terminal yard for getting installed.

However, the delay in completing the capital dredging work even after the extended period has become a matter of concern for the terminal operator to commence operations of the ICTT in the set time frame, the sources said.

According to sources, the capital dredging work to provide 14.5m draught at the ICTT berth basins had to be completed before January 31.

However, the Port Trust Board had granted the dredging company Jaisu Shipping an extension till April 30 on condition that the entire compensation due would be claimed in the event of non-performance by the extended date of April 30. The dredging company had not completed the work even after the expiry of the extended period.

Considering the slow pace in work, it is now almost sure that the commissioning of the terminal is likely to be delayed further. The ICTT needs a draught of 14.5m to handle mother vessels that currently call transhipment hubs in the region.

The dredging in the channel to 14.5m will require a minimum 300,000 cubic m of silt to be dredged, which is reported to be difficult to complete in a month's time.

The sources cited the instance of the port having taken close to two months to achieve 10m of draught in the ICTT basins to offload the cranes for the terminal in August.
(Source:www.cargonewsasia.com)