A year and a half behind schedule, the commissioning of Vallarpadam International Container Trans-shipment Terminal (ICTT) continues to be delayed, as the dredging work at the basin of the terminal and in the channel inches its way to the finish.
According to the schedule of the dredging contractor, Jaisu Shipping, this would be completed by this month-end. If everything goes as planned, operations at the ICTT could commence in the new year.
Incessant rainfall has badly hit the dredging operations though two bucket dredgers were engaged. The dredging at the basin slowed down due to a very hard patch 35m long. The uncommon rainfall in October and November also caused piling of mud in the channels that requires continuous dredging in order to maintain the required draft.
Though the terminal operator DP World has geared up to commence operations, it would need a final nod from the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) on completion of the dredging.
CPT sources said that a review meeting would be held next week and the terminal would be operational by the middle of January 2011. The official launch of the terminal would be held sometime in January depending on the availability of the prime minister.
Krishnadas, CEO of DP World Cochin, said that the Phase 1A of the ICTT was ready for operations in all aspects. The 600m quay is equipped with four new twin-lift quay cranes and is ready to service ships.
“We are awaiting completion of dredging by Cochin Port Trust to enable us to begin servicing the trade from the new terminal,” he said. As per the original schedule, the project should have been commissioned in April 2009.
While the rail connectivity to the terminal is complete, the four-lane road connectivity is yet to be done. However the work on the two-lane road connecting the terminal with NH 47 at Kalamassery is almost complete. This would handle the initial traffic during the time it takes to make the port fully operational.
The terminal yard with 2,200 ground slots is equipped with 11 new rubber tyre gantry (RTG) cranes, with an annual handling capacity of 1 million TEUs. The gate complex of the terminal is ready with six gates. Rail connectivity inside the terminal, including two sidings and a railway station, is ready for operations. The notification certifying the ICTT as a unit under the SEZ has also been issued. Power supply is in place for the whole terminal, while the administrative block was inaugurated on September 14 this year.
