Ennore port's new terminal taking shape, finally

The new terminal at Ennore port near Chennai, a long-standing demand of traders here, is finally taking shape.

The port plans to invite expressions of interest (EoIs) for the proposed mega container terminal by month-end. Construction work on the Rs 1,300-crore project is likely to commence in six to seven months, Ennore Port Ltd (EPL) officials say.

Speaking to Business Standard, S Velumani, chairman and managing director, EPL, said work on the project would commence in the next six to seven months, while the terminal is likely to start operations by 2010-end or early 2011. The project will be built on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.

A few international players, including the Rotterdam Port Authority of the Netherlands, had shown interest in the project, he added.

The port is also planning to build a four-lane road linking the new terminal with NH-V. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had prepared the project report and was awaiting the shipping ministry's clearance, Velumani said.

The new terminal will come with 125 acres of container yard adjoining the kilometre-wide berth, which Velumani claimed was the first of its kind in the country.

Once the terminal starts operations, it will be able to simultaneously handle three mainline vessels with capacities of 8,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) each, as well as four feeder vessels. The terminal was expected to handle around 1.5 million TEUs in its first year of operations, said Velumani.

Reacting to the new development, a senior industry official said with an annual organic growth of 20 per cent in container traffic at the Chennai terminal, it would need 2,400 gate moves per day at a rate of 1.66 boxes per minute.

Traffic density on the roads to Chennai port would grow steeply, resulting in the flow being choked.