The Tuticorin Port Trust is developing its inner harbour by investing Rs 538 crore to increase the cargo handling capacity from 20.55 million tonne to 40.60 million tonne. Of the total cost, the Centre has sanctioned a grant of Rs 188 crore and the Port Trust has to raise Rs 350 crore from internal resources or as debt. The important works which were initiated by the Union shipping, road transport and highways minister, T R Baalu, on Thursday involve the deepening of the harbour basin to 12.80 meter draught from 10.70 meter and of the approach channel to 14.6 meter from 14 meter for a length of 4100 meter.
This entrance channel has also to be widened from 152 meter to 230 meter by removing the existing pier heads and providing additional protective spurs to maintain the tranquility conditions inside the dock basin as part of development works, they added. These works would enable the port to meet the future container traffic, to attract bigger mainline vessels, and to avoid anchorage operations, port sources said.
Once these works were completed the port would be able to handle the fourth generation container vessels with a capacity of 3,000 twenty equivalent units (TEUs) to 4,000 TEUs. Currently, the port can handle container vessels up to 2,000 TEUs capacity, they said.
This entrance channel has also to be widened from 152 meter to 230 meter by removing the existing pier heads and providing additional protective spurs to maintain the tranquility conditions inside the dock basin as part of development works, they added. These works would enable the port to meet the future container traffic, to attract bigger mainline vessels, and to avoid anchorage operations, port sources said.
Once these works were completed the port would be able to handle the fourth generation container vessels with a capacity of 3,000 twenty equivalent units (TEUs) to 4,000 TEUs. Currently, the port can handle container vessels up to 2,000 TEUs capacity, they said.