Tuticorin Port traffic volume up

The Tuticorin Port has seen a rise in traffic volume after it announced changes through “Trade Notice” to handle deep draught vessels at anchorage beyond the permissible draught of 10.7 metres.Mr A. Subbiah, Deputy Chairman, Tuticorin Port Trust, in a statement here said that enthused by the amendment, importers brought a coal and a coke vessel carrying 53,106 tonnes and 46,759 tonnes respectively with draught of 12.5 metres and 12 metres and handled part cargo at the anchorage using self-propelled barges till the vessel reached 10.7 metres and the balance cargo was handled at the berth directly.

He said for the first time a dunpeas vessel mv. ‘Bei Hai’ with a parcel size of 43,497 tonnes, drawing 11.45 m draught, was handled at the port anchorage on October 8.

The vessel discharged 4,500 tonnes at the anchorage to self-propelled barges to reach 10.7 m draught and the cargo was further unloaded at Zone ‘B’. This performance was achieved in spite of intermittent rain during the course of handling. The port had provided all necessary infrastructural support such as transit storage and warehousing. The cargo was imported from Australia.

Source: BusinessLine

Tuticorin port to get Electronic Data Interface

An Electronic Data Interface (EDI) would become operational in the Tuticorin port soon, enabling speedy use of port services.

The EDI system, costing Rs 90 lakh, would be installed before December 21, Subbiah, Deputy Chairman Tuticorin Port Trust said addressing the golden jubilee celebrations of Tuticorin Custom House Agents Association (TCHAA).

The system envisages reducing the transaction time for port-users, he said.

On the port's future plans, he said it aims at handling 50 million tonnes by 2012 and 100 million tonnes by 2021.

The Joint Commissioner of the Port Trust, Jeganathan, laid the foundation stone for the Association's new building.

TCHAA's website was also launched at the function.

Tuticorin Port sets new Record in handling cargo

The Tuticorin Port Trust has handled 10.032 million tonnes of cargo during the first half of the current financial year.

A. Subbiah, deputy chairman, TPT, said that the performance was 17.98 per cent higher vis-À-vis accomplishment during the corresponding period last fiscal.

He attributed the achievement to handling of more thermal coal, containerised cargo, fertilizers like urea, fertilizer raw materials like rock phosphate, timber and copper concentrate than the pervious fiscal.

According to him, the TPT has taken proactive measures to achieve the annual cargo handling target of 20.3 million tonnes set by the Ministry of Shipping for the port.

“A trade promotion meeting was organised in Chennai recently and issued notices for handling cargo at anchorage,” he said.

The TPT now plans to hold a series of trade promotion meetings and road shows in the coming months to attract more cargo through the port.

Mr. Subbiah said that mechanised handling of timber logs was introduced to improve productivity.

Tuticorin Port plans Rs 5,310 crore expansion

Tuticorin Port plans a major expansion involving investments of around Rs 5,310 crore to create additional capacity and infrastructure on the back of growing industrial activity and meeting capacity demands from the trade.

The port is planning to augment its capacity from the existing 20.55 million tonnes to 40.60 million tonnes through an Inner Harbour Development Programme.

This envisages construction of a coal berth, development of a container terminal, construction of new berths and development activities like dock basin dredging to cater to 12.8-metre draft vessels at a cost of Rs 961.75 crore, according to A Subbiah, deputy chairman, Tuticorin Port.

The port, through a futuristic Outer Harbour Development Programme, is also planning to create additional capacity of 37.5 million tonnes by 2012-end and would aim for 43.7 million tonnes by 2017. The plan is estimated at an outlay of Rs 4,350 crore, Subbiah added.

Garments and textile exporters and importers of machinery in Tirupur, Karur and Salem regions are using Tuticorin Port for their import and export activities since the port has direct connectivity to American and European ports, besides ports in East Asia and South-east Asia.

Tuticorin Port handled 18.70 million tonnes of cargo during 2006-07, registering 9 per cent growth over previous year’s figures of 17.14 million tonnes. Container traffic stood at 377,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) as compared to 321,000 TEUs in the previous fiscal, registering growth of 17 per cent.

For the current fiscal, the port has set a target of 20.05 million tonnes of cargo traffic and 400,000 TEUs.

The operating income of the port was Rs 183.05 crore for 2006-07 as compared to Rs 159.04 crore the previous year. Profit after tax (PAT) was Rs 88.76 crore, up 39 per cent over Rs 63.76 crore in the previous fiscal.

With the expected completion of the Sethusamudram project in 2008, ports on the east coast and west coast of the country are expected to use Tuticorin Port as a transhipment hub, resulting in its emergence as a hub container port in near future, a Tuticorin Port statement said.

Considering the business potential and increasing industrial activity in the region, CII has opened its district office in Tuticorin, inaugurated on Saturday by MS Srinivasan, secretary, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

At the launch of CII office, Srinivasan hinted that Tuticorin, being a major port on the east cost of the country, would gain in a big way with the Centre’s increasing attention on East Asian economies.

Source: Business Standard

Expansion Planned at Tuticorin Port

Tuticorin Port in India is reportedly planning a major expansion to create significant additional capacity and infrastructure on the back of growing demand.

According to reports in the Indian media, the port is planning to augment capacity from 20.55 million tonnes per annum to 40.60 million tonnes through the so-called Inner Harbour Development Programme.

This envisages construction of a coal berth, development of a container terminal, construction of new berths and dock basin dredging to cater to 12.8m draft vessels.

In the longer term, the port is also planning an Outer Harbour Development Programme, which would create further additional capacity of 37.5 million tonnes by 2012.

Source: Dredging News

Tuticorin Port proves mettle in anchorage operations

With the handling of m.v. Elpida S, Tuticorin Port has commenced its anchorage operations and proved its potential to handle deep-draught vessels that need over 10.7-metre draught at anchorage, says a press release issued by the Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT).

Availing of the new facility offered by the Port, Seapol Shipping Pvt. Ltd, Tuticorin, nominated a collier, m.v. Elpida S, with a parcel of 53,106 tonnes of coal, which arrived with a draught of 12.46 m on August 10.

The Port thus successfully handled its first coal vessel from August 10 to 12.

The Indonesian coal was imported by Coastal Energy, Chennai. The lighterage operation was effected by deploying two self-propelled barges of 1,000-tonne and 1,200-tonne capacities. After successful lightering of about 8,720 tonnes of cargo, the vessel reached the permissible draught of 10.7 m and berthed alongside VOC Berth No.III for full and final discharge of cargo.

On successful completion of both anchorage and alongside operations, the collier sailed off on August 16.

The introduction of anchorage operations at Tuticorin Port saves the ‘dead freight’ payable to vessels calling at the Port and facilitates handling of Panamax vessels without any pre-berthing detention.

TPT had planned to handle deep-draught vessels at the anchorage, subject to certain conditions, which were amplified in a ‘trade notice’ dated July 5 and supplemented with an earlier notice dated March 22.

Govt to change port projects bid norms

The ministry of shipping is planning to make changes in bidding norms for port projects to avoid delays caused on account of security clearances.

Privatisation of two major ports — Mumbai Port Trust (MbPT), Chennai Port Trust (CPT) — and Vizhinjam port in Kerala have been delayed by six to 18 months due to delays in obtaining security clearance for foreign bidders.

In the case of MbPT and Chennai Port, security clearance was denied to Hong Kong-based Hutchison Port Holdings — the largest independent port operator in the world — that had bid along with Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

In Vizhinjam, Kaidi Electric Power Company and Chinese Harbour Engineering (along with Mumbai-based Zoom Developers) were also denied permission. Realising that security clearance was delaying the projects, L&T replaced foreign partner Hutchison with Manila-based International Container Terminal Services in May.

L&T's request for Chennai port was scuttled and the Rs 495 crore contract finally went to PSA-SICAL combine which currently manages the Tuticorin container terminal.

Mumbai Port, however, accepted L&T's request and has postponed the deadline for submission of financial bids to October 9 to accommodate the company and its new partner.

MbPT expects ICTSI to be given clearance by the cabinet committee on security meeting on September 20. New norms will clarify issues such as the point at which security clearance for the project should be sought. Currently, ports follow varying norms.

For instance, Mumbai Port decided to first wait for the security clearance and then proceed with inviting financial bids while Chennai Port decided to invite financial bids first but the award of contract was made subject to security clearance.

Here L&T lost its chance. While a legal opinion from Mulla & Mulla gave an okay to the company to change its foreign partner (while it retained other terms and conditions of the financial bid), the issue was directed to the shipping ministry for the final approval.

Before ministry of shipping took a decision, the security clearance was denied to Hutchison which was L&T's initial partner.

"As Hutchison was denied clearance, L&T's bid was rejected," said a Chennai port official. But no one from the Chennai Port or the shipping ministry wants to clarify on what happened to L&T's request for the change in partner.

While L&T officials were tight-lipped about the issue, Mumbai Port has no recourse but to extend its bid submission dates as the delays has already turned away many bidders.

Currently, bidders participating in port projects can change consortium partners three weeks before submission of financial bids.

In case of Vizhinjam port which is to be developed as trans-shipment port giving direct competition to Dubai port, Singapore port and Colombo ports, the issue is different.

Financial bids were opened six months ago and the three-company consortium was declared winner. However, final award was subject to security clearance which was denied to the two Chinese companies one of which was the main bidder holding 26% stake in the port.

While the Indian partner, Zoom Developers is trying to salvage the project that will cost Rs 1,800 crore in the first phase itself, by proposing to change the partners, there is no clarity from the government on the issue.

The state government along with the support from the opposition parties is first trying to put pressure on the Central government to give security clearance.

But, as industry experts say, the damage has already been done to Indian ports including the 13 major ports which are planning investments of over Rs 61,000 crore in future.

Source: Times of India

Rs. 1,400-cr. shipbuilding yard planned for Tuticorin

The Tuticorin Port Trust plans to establish a shipbuilding yard on its premises on an outlay of Rs. 1,400 crore, to be built on build-operate-transfer (BOT) or lease basis.

Korea Maritime Consultants Company Limited, which conducted a feasibility study, submitted its report to the port authorities a few days ago.

Speaking to The Hindu , N.K. Raghupathy, Chairman, TPT, said the proposed facility would be established on 49.68 hectares — 31.68 ha of reclaimed area and 18 ha of waterfront. "We plan to build six Panamax-size vessels every year," he said.

The yard would have a building dock of 390 metres in length, 65 metres in breadth and 10 metres in height and five berths with a total length of 1,200 metres.

The other facilities include a pipe fabrication and assembly unit, pre-erection yard, galvanising unit, hull fabrication section and provision to stack steel, pipes and hull blocks.

About 60,000 to 66,000 tonnes of steel meant for shipbuilding would be handled at the yard in a year.

Mr. Raghupathy said the yard would provide employment to 5,000 persons.

"The ancillary units that will come up once the yard is established will generate more jobs," he said.

Construction of the yard would be completed in four years, once the Centre accorded statutory clearance, he said.

Source: The Hindu