The Hindu Business Line : Visakha Container Terminal poised to handle more sailings

Visakha Container Terminal (VCT), Visakhapatnam port's container terminal run by the joint venture company, Visakha Container Terminal Pvt Ltd, is poised to handle more sailings. The number of sailings through VCT, according to trade sources, is to jump by at least 50 per cent within the next few months. Currently, the terminal handles 17 to 18 sailings a month, slated to rise by another eight or so by the end of the year, the sources add.

Strengthening services

The proposed new services will largely cater to the growing trade to and from the Far East. At least two big shipping consortia are believed to have shown interest in offering sailings through VCT for various Far Eastern destinations. One of them will be offering services through Colombo while the other through Singapore, it is learnt.

It might be noted that the consortium of Shipping Corporation of India, K Line and Pacific International Line, known as INDFEX, already offers mainline services through VCT to and from the Far East.

Also, APL/BTL offer weekly services to Singapore and Port Kelang.

Some of the existing services will also be strengthened, the sources point out. Thus, the present services to Chittagong (Bangladesh) might have a second vessel of higher capacity. Currently, the service is once in 10 days, likely to become weekly shortly.

Also, the present weekly service to Colombo via Chennai might be extended to Jebel Ali with the help of higher capacity vessels, it is learnt. The steady growth of exports to Africa through VCT too is believed to have drawn the attention of some lines.

In 2005-06, the throughput of VCT at 46,736 TEUs (45,517 TEUs) showed a growth of three per cent. The growth in the current fiscal, if the current trend is any indication, it is estimated, will be much higher.

The monthly throughput so far in the current year has been more than 5,000 TEUs on an average.

Another encouraging feature is that unlike last year, the bulk of the containers handled so far this year either originated or terminated in areas within a radius of 500 to 600 km of the terminal.

Earlier, the dependence of the ICD traffic was more than at present. However, it is still felt that the trade will stand to benefit more if it opts for rail movement of containers in preference to road movement.

"We are trying our best to send this message across," observe railway sources.