Posted on June 2, 2016
Chennai Port has emerged as the deepest among the major ports in the country with a capacity to handle vessels with a draft of 15.5 metres.
Addressing the media, Cyril C. George, chairman of Chennai Port Trust (CPT) said the draft, indicative of the depth to which a loaded ship can sink, at Ambedkar dock and CITPL is 15.5 metres and now, the port is capable of handling container vessels as much as 8,000 TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units). “It is a major achievement. We have resolved the past issues related to dredging,” he said.
Despite the difficult financial conditions, CPT has recorded a net surplus of Rs. 42.2 crore as against Rs. 23 crore the previous year, he added.
Chennai Port Trust has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Southern Railway to operationalise the rail traffic movement from Chennai to Walajabad, Mr. George said. “We will implement this plan so that more cargo, especially cars, is moved by rail from Chennai to Walajabad.
First container train operations were started from Chennai to Bengaluru by a private operator Distribution Logistics Infrastructure Limited (DLI). There may be a few more such services from June between Hyderabad and Chennai, he added.
Speaking about the problem of congestion, Mr. George said, “There has been a reduction in congestion. Also, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) will be inaugurated on Wednesday and this will avoid manual checking of documents, further easing congestion.”
Feeder port
CPT Trust is holding talks with Puducherry Port Trust to develop the latter as a feeder port. “Preliminary talks are on and we are waiting for the final word from Puducherry so that an MoU can be signed,” he added.
Source: The Hindu
