Thiruvananthapuram:
One of the much awaited development project in Kerala, the Vallarupadam International Container Terminal at Kochi would be functional by next month, a top Union government official said today.
Commissioning of Vallarupadam Container terminal would increase the transhipment of containers in Indian ports, which were now being held mostly in the ports of other countries, Union Shipping Secretary K Mohandas said while addressing the 'Kerala Ports and Maritime Business Conclave'.
With an objective to provide impetus to coastal traffic and movement of cargo through inland waterways, Centre was planning to bring out a Coastal Shipping Policy in couple of months, he said.
"'The policy among other things will identify certain legal changes required and additional infrastrucutre to be put in the Costal shipping and inlandwater ways sector", Mohandas said.
Referring to the significance of ports development in the country, he said a recent study had projected that ports in the country had to handle a cargo to a tune of 2500 million tonnes in 2020.
Majors and minor ports put together now handle nearly 850 million tonnes of cargo, he pointed out.
"So there is a gap between the availability and requirement of facilities in the country in ports', he said adding the ports in the country function with a 91 per cent capacity utilization.
This means ships have to wait for long in sea or in ports leading to delay in transaction of business, he said. The capacity utilization had to be brought down to 70 to 75 per cent, which was the global standard, he said.
On the ambitious Vizhinjam International Deepsea Container Terminal, promoted by State government with private players, Mohandas said the project would have the full support of the Centre.
The port once completed would attract more container traffic from the ports of other countries.
Commissioning of Vallarupadam Container terminal would increase the transhipment of containers in Indian ports, which were now being held mostly in the ports of other countries, Union Shipping Secretary K Mohandas said while addressing the 'Kerala Ports and Maritime Business Conclave'.
With an objective to provide impetus to coastal traffic and movement of cargo through inland waterways, Centre was planning to bring out a Coastal Shipping Policy in couple of months, he said.
"'The policy among other things will identify certain legal changes required and additional infrastrucutre to be put in the Costal shipping and inlandwater ways sector", Mohandas said.
Referring to the significance of ports development in the country, he said a recent study had projected that ports in the country had to handle a cargo to a tune of 2500 million tonnes in 2020.
Majors and minor ports put together now handle nearly 850 million tonnes of cargo, he pointed out.
"So there is a gap between the availability and requirement of facilities in the country in ports', he said adding the ports in the country function with a 91 per cent capacity utilization.
This means ships have to wait for long in sea or in ports leading to delay in transaction of business, he said. The capacity utilization had to be brought down to 70 to 75 per cent, which was the global standard, he said.
On the ambitious Vizhinjam International Deepsea Container Terminal, promoted by State government with private players, Mohandas said the project would have the full support of the Centre.
The port once completed would attract more container traffic from the ports of other countries.
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