Chennai port's 2nd pvt terminal to begin operations by month-end
The second private container terminal at the Chennai port will commence operations from this month end. The Chennai International Terminals Pvt Ltd (CITPL), a joint venture between Port of Singapore Authority and Sical Logistics, will start operations with quay length of 400 metres, according to Mr K. Suresh, Chairman, Chennai Port Trust (ChPT).
When fully commissioned by August, the new terminal, built at a cost of Rs 495 crore at East Quay and South Quay III, will have a quay length of 832 metres and 15.5 metres alongside berth. There will be a back-up area of 35 hectares, including 7.8 hectares to be reclaimed by the ChPT. The terminal’s designed capacity is to handle 1.5 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units), he said.
The new terminal has already imported 10 new RTGs (rubber tyred gantry) cranes from ZPMC, China which arrived at the Chennai port on March 28 and were discharged into the newly constructed quay. The cranes are capable of stacking 5+1 high containers and have a span of 6+1. They will be deployed for yard operations after the commissioning, he told newspersons.
According to Capt Suresh N. Amirapu, General Manager, CITPL, the terminal is designed to accommodate deep-draft vessels of 8,000 TEUs. Its connectivity to Inland Container Depot (ICD) destinations is enhanced by a railway connection and a growing number of rail logistics operators.
performance
Mr Suresh said that during 2008-09, the Chennai port handled 57.49 million tonnes (mt) of cargo, surpassing the previous year’s 57.15 mt by 0.59 per cent. The port, however, could not meet the Shipping Ministry’s target of 64 mt for the fiscal, mainly due to a decline in iron ore handling, he said.
The port handled 8.25 mt of iron ore in 2008-09, as against 10.82 mt over the previous year. This also resulted in a decline in the number of railway wagons handled during the year to 2,65,058 (2,92,736), a decline of 9.45 per cent, he said.
Car export
Car export (mainly Hyundai) increased by 80.25 per cent to touch 2,48,697 during 2008-09 as against 1,37,971 in the previous year. The port handled 65 car carriers compared with 40 in the previous year. The port is now the number one ro-ro car terminal in the country, he said.
The container traffic reached an all-time high of 1.14 million TEUs, an increase of 1.35 per cent over the previous year, he said.
When fully commissioned by August, the new terminal, built at a cost of Rs 495 crore at East Quay and South Quay III, will have a quay length of 832 metres and 15.5 metres alongside berth. There will be a back-up area of 35 hectares, including 7.8 hectares to be reclaimed by the ChPT. The terminal’s designed capacity is to handle 1.5 million TEUs (twenty foot equivalent units), he said.
The new terminal has already imported 10 new RTGs (rubber tyred gantry) cranes from ZPMC, China which arrived at the Chennai port on March 28 and were discharged into the newly constructed quay. The cranes are capable of stacking 5+1 high containers and have a span of 6+1. They will be deployed for yard operations after the commissioning, he told newspersons.
According to Capt Suresh N. Amirapu, General Manager, CITPL, the terminal is designed to accommodate deep-draft vessels of 8,000 TEUs. Its connectivity to Inland Container Depot (ICD) destinations is enhanced by a railway connection and a growing number of rail logistics operators.
performance
Mr Suresh said that during 2008-09, the Chennai port handled 57.49 million tonnes (mt) of cargo, surpassing the previous year’s 57.15 mt by 0.59 per cent. The port, however, could not meet the Shipping Ministry’s target of 64 mt for the fiscal, mainly due to a decline in iron ore handling, he said.
The port handled 8.25 mt of iron ore in 2008-09, as against 10.82 mt over the previous year. This also resulted in a decline in the number of railway wagons handled during the year to 2,65,058 (2,92,736), a decline of 9.45 per cent, he said.
Car export
Car export (mainly Hyundai) increased by 80.25 per cent to touch 2,48,697 during 2008-09 as against 1,37,971 in the previous year. The port handled 65 car carriers compared with 40 in the previous year. The port is now the number one ro-ro car terminal in the country, he said.
The container traffic reached an all-time high of 1.14 million TEUs, an increase of 1.35 per cent over the previous year, he said.