DP World opens new Cochin terminal in India

The first-ever dedicated transhipment and gateway hub in India, DP World’s Vallarpadam International Container Terminal (VICT), was opened on February 11, 2011 by India’s Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in an official ceremony at the terminal which was attended by more than 5,000 customers, officials and dignitaries.


The new terminal is a public-private partnership between DP World and the Government of India, with Container Corporation of India (Concor), Transworld and Chakiat also strategic partners in the venture.


The largest single operator container facility in the country and to be operated as DP World Cochin, the terminal was built at a cost (including other infrastructure facilities such as road and rail connections) of more than US$600m. The intention was for container handling will now move entirely to DP World Cochin from the nearby Rajiv Gandhi Terminal (RGCT) in the coming weeks.


However, due to a dispute with RGCT dock workers fearful of job losses, the transfer of coastal traffic has been put back by the High Court for three months while the grievances are investigated. The handling of import and export containers is not affected by the ruling and the eventual intention is for the older facility to be converted by the Cochin Port Trust to handle greater volumes of non-containerised bulk cargo.


DP World Cochin will be completed in three phases. In the first phase, the 600 m long quay with a draught of around 14.5 m will be able to simultaneously serve several of the world’s largest container ships - those with a nominal capacity of around 10,000 teu. The one million teu current terminal capacity will expand in line with market demand, increasing to around 1.5m teu in the second phase. When fully completed terminal capacity will be around 4m teu.


The Indian Government has also constructed and enhanced supporting infrastructure such as the construction of a four lane national highway connecting the terminal to the rest of India. A new 8km long electrified rail link will also allow 15 trains to serve the terminal daily, connecting customers directly with India’s national rail network.


DP World also operates terminals in Mundra, Nhava Sheva, Chennai and Vishakapatnam, and is also developing a new terminal facility in West Bengal.
(Source:http://www.container-mag.com)