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Cargo handling by Kochi Port surpasses target tonnage

Our Bureau

KOCHI, April 9

THE marketing strategies initiated by the Kochi Port in attracting new cargo has started yielding results. The overall cargo handled by the port during the year 2000-01 had grown by 2.5 per cent.

The total cargo handled during the period stood at 131.17 lakh tonnes compared to the target of 120 lakh tonnes fixed for the year thereby showing an increase of 11.17 lakh tonnes, which is 9.3 per cent more than the target fixed for the year.

This is despite a marked fall in the handling of crude oil owing to the reduced intake by the Kochi Refineries Ltd. The port handled 75 lakh tonnes of crude oil in 2000-01 as compared to 80 lakh tonnes 1999-2000. There is also a fall in handling of wheat and sugar by 1.5 lakh tonnes due to change in the government policy on imports, Dr Jacob Thomas, Chairman of the port said at a press conference here on Monday.

The container traffic had also touched an all time record as it grew by 10 per cent during the period. The port had handled 1.43 lakh teus as against 1.30 lakh teus in the corresponding period last year, he said.

However, pragmatic efforts by the Business Development Cell constituted by the port had resulted in attracting new cargo to the port as also in consolidating the other non POL items. The port handled about 11 new commodities including benzoin, corn soya bean, coconut fatty acid, cumin, methanol, coconut oil cake, shredded steel scrap and soda ash in addition to handling higher volumes of other cargo, he added.

The number of vessels calling at the port had also increased to 1,104 as against 1,096 last year. The number of sailings to the ports at Dubai, Salalah, Singapore, Port Klang, ports on African Coast and Colombo had increased from 8 sailing per week in 19 99-2000 to 12 sailings per week. After the creation of a Cruise Cell, the Chairman said that as many as 34 passenger vessels called at the port compared to 24 vessels last year.

The port had also been in the forefront among all the Indian major ports in implementing electronic data interchange (EDI) transactions under UN EDIFACT transactions. As on date, around 20 users were exclusively transacting documents and three parties we re transferring funds to the port through EDI.

The port had also entrusted the Kochi based National Institute of Oceanography to conduct a siltation study in the channel to reduce the dredging cost. A proper scientific study was also necessary as the channel should be deepened in the near future for various developmental activities, he added.

Mr A. Janardhana Rao, Deputy Chairman said that the port had identified around 700 acres of land at Puthuvypeen area to set up a Ship Repair Complex to offer various service such as floating docks, drydocking, lay of berth etc to ships passing through th e international channel. Several leading players had responded to the Expressions of Interest called by the port and a final decision in this regard would be taken only after getting a detailed presentation from the parties.

The port had also allotted 9 acres of land for setting up modern eco-friendly automated cement handling facility in its premises. The dismissal of a writ petition challenging the project by the High Court had paved the way for an early execution of the p roject by leading manufacturers such as Gujarat Ambuja Cements, L&T Cements and Saurashtra Cements. Once commissioned, nearly one million tonnes of cement would be handled annually, he added.