The Hindu Business Line : Seaways Shipping may avoid Vizag-KDS route for box movement

AFTER having virtually burnt its fingers in coastal movement of containers between Visakhapatnam port (Vizag) and the Kolkata Dock System (KDS), Seaways Shipping is thinking of not undertaking any more movement on the route, at least for the time being.

In June and July, Seaways Shipping's MV Coastal Express I, a 224-TEU vessel, which operates as a feeder between Vizag and Chittagong/Mongla (Bangladesh) via KDS/Haldia, transported from Vizag to KDS a total of 74 TEUs - 50 TEUs in June and 24 TEUs in July - loaded with steel coils produced by Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Ltd.

"We did not make any money on these shipments," said Seaways Shipping sources. "If at all, we may have lost some for experimenting with coastal traffic on the route," the sources observed attributing the not-so-rewarding experience to high cost of operation at KDS and a host of other problems. "We have since drawn the attention of the Kolkata port authorities to various problems we faced," the sources added.

It might be noted that in June Seaways Shipping launched Coastal Express Services, a feeder service with port rotation of Vizag - KDS/Haldia - Chittagong/Mongla- Vizag and at a frequency of 10 days. The cargo mainly comprises cotton yarn sent by exporters in Jullunder for buyers in Bangladesh. The consignments are brought to KDS from Punjab by road for onward transportation by the feeder vessel to Chittagong/Mongla. On the return journey, i.e., on Chittagong/Mongla - Vizag leg, there is hardly any traffic. The cargo inducement at Vizag for Chittagong/Mongla too leaves much to be desired, it is learnt.

It might be noted that Seaways also acts as the agent of Singapore-based shipping line, Pacific International Line, at Paradip for handling containers. Last week, MV Coastal Express I called at Paradip to load 115 containers of high carbon ferro chrome for exports to Dalian (China). The exporter is Orissa-based Indian Charge Chrome Ltd. The boxes were transhipped at Vizag. "The transhipment cost at Vizag is negligible as compared to other transhipment hubs like Singapore and Colombo," said the sources adding, "also, unlike those ports, there is no no delay at Vizag."

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