Vallarupadam International Container Terminal to open soon

THE Vallarupadam International Container Terminal at Kochi becomes operational later this month, a top government official has revealed, according to the Press Trust of India.

The new terminal will increase the transshipments in Indian ports, which were now being served mostly in the ports of other countries, principally Sri Lanka, said Shipping Secretary K Mohandas addressing the Kerala Ports and Maritime Business Conclave.

With an objective to provide impetus to coastal traffic and movement of cargo through inland waterways, there are plans to bring out a coastal shipping policy early in the new year, he said.

"The policy among other things will identify certain legal changes required and additional infrastructure to be put in the coastal shipping and inland waterways sector," Mr Mohandas said.

He said a recent study had projected that ports in the country had to handle a cargo to a tune of 2.5 billion tonnes in 2020 from the present 850 million tonnes India's ports handle today.

"So there is a gap between the availability and requirement of facilities in the country in ports," he said, adding the ports in the country function with a 91 per cent capacity utilisation.

Mr Mohandas said this means ships must wait, leading to delays in business transactions. Capacity utilisation, he said, had to be brought down to 70 to 75 per cent, which was the global standard if these delays were to be eliminated.
(Source:www.schednet.com)