The Hindu Business Line : Tuticorin Port Trust plans Rs 4,000-cr expansion

Tuticorin Port Trust (TPT) has unveiled a major expansion initiative involving an investment of over Rs 4,000 crore in two phases to develop infrastructure aimed at attracting more traffic.

The port has proposed to spend Rs 835 crore in the first phase including increasing the draught to 12.5 metres from 10.7 metres and setting up of a second container terminal at an investment of Rs 150 crore.

All the projects are envisaged under the National Maritime Development Programme and the port had sought a budgetary support of Rs 225 crore from the Centre, Mr N.K. Raghupathy, Chairman of the port, said.

The first phase is expected to be completed by 2008, he added.

Simultaneously, the preparative action for the second phase at an investment of Rs 3,300 crore had commenced, which included expansion of outer harbour, increasing the depth to 14.5 metres, construction of breakwaters, lengthening the approach channel etc.

The work will be completed by 2012, he added.

Mr Raghupathy, who was in Kerala on an official visit, told Business Line that the request for qualification for the second container terminal had been completed and the names of the four short-listed firms had already been forwarded to the Ministry for security clearance.

The firms included Chettinad Logistics, L&T Ltd and PSA Sical. All these firms have collaborations with reputed international container terminal operators.

Marketing drive

Tuticorin port has the third largest position in the country after JNPT and Chennai and it has started a series of marketing efforts in various centres in the South in the current fiscal in association with the terminal operator and shipping lines.

The marketing initiatives, he said, were directed towards retaining the existing cargo as well as to capture a larger share of the growing traffic volumes from the region. Many lines had evinced interest in starting service from Tuticorin and three reputed feeder lines had started its service since September last year.

Shipping lines such as India Max and Wanhai had recommenced its schedule recently, he said.

Mr S. Anantha Chandra Bose, Traffic Manager, said the port had handled an all-time record cargo traffic of 17.14 million tonnes in 2005-06 exceeding the previous year traffic of 15.81 mt, an increase of 8.40 per cent.

The imports account for 133.75 lakh tonnes and exports at 37.64 lakh tonnes. The net worth of the port trust reached an all-time high of Rs 522.15 crore against Rs 452.19 crore last year, he said.