The Hindu Business Line : `India Gateway's marketing strategy at Kochi paying off'

THE marketing strategies adopted by India Gateway Terminal at the Kochi Port seems to have started yielding results, as evident from the increase in the number of vessels calling at the port in the recent period.

"There has been a 21 per cent increase in the number of container vessels calling at Kochi since we took over the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal (RGCT) from the port in April this year," Mr Suresh Joseph, General Manager, DP World, told Business Line.

The current growth rate of containers to the port was seven per cent in the first eight months of this year, which is expected to touch a double-digit growth by next year, he said.

As against 208 vessels handled from April to November 2004, the number has gone up to 260 in the first eight months of this year. Last month alone, IGT handled 42 container vessels, the highest number ever handled.

The turnaround of vessels, which used to be in the range of 2.3 days during the time of Kochi Port Trust handling the terminal, has come down to 1.5 days, he said.

Mr Joseph said the terminal has been able to attract several mainline services to Kochi in its voyage.

The Far Shipping has started East African sailings with the introduction of IGX Service between Colombo and Dubai.

The vessel calls at Kochi both on East and the West bound sailings. IGT had also received a direct pendulum service between Kochi and Singapore, which offers Kochi a direct sailing to Singapore.

He pointed out that the direct sailings from East African ports to Kochi had already commenced and the company is also working on the modalities to start a direct sail to Europe and US East Coast.

In order to attract bigger vessels to the terminal, he said, steps have been taken to increase the draught in the channel.

To further boost exports of seafood from the port, IGT has set up 1,750 ground slots and 135 reefer points for the benefit of marine exporters, he said. Steps were on to enhance the reefer points by 150 by the next season.

The introduction of various measures, coupled with the implementation of NAVIS software to facilitate yard management and vessel planning, has also resulted in the increase of productivity.

The productivity of the rail-mounted gantry crane has increased by 20 per cent and mobile harbour cranes to 45 per cent.

To improve the availability of equipments , he said that the rail-mounted gantry crane and reach stackers would be further refurbished in the first quarter of 2006.

With the introduction of the new traffic management system, detention of trucks at the terminal entrance has been completely eliminated, he added.