Transhipment terminal at Tuticorin port is only a question of time says Port Chairman

It is only a question of time that a Transshipment terminal at Tuticorin port will become a reality and a full fledged industrial clusters being developed as part of the Chennai Kanyakumari Industrial corridor could contribute to the development said the Port Chairman Ramachandran

Mr Ramachandran was addressing the valedictory session of the Logistics summit organised by the Tuticorin chapter of the Confederation of Indian industry on November 27th.

Tamil Nadu government is promoting several industrial clusters as part of the Corridor project. These clusters will generate adequate cargo to promote a transshipment terminal at Tuticorin port he said.

Only in India, industries get promoted at least four hundred kilometers away from the Port

World over and in China industries are located near the Port or within a one hundred kilometer vicinity. Only in India, industries get promoted at least four hundred kilometers away from the Port. This contributes to the additional logistics cost he said.

To promote Port led industrial development, the Tuticorin port has allocated about two thousand acres of land close to the port for development of industries. Expression of interest has been received from various industries. The tenders for allotment of land will be finalysed in a month or two by the port adminstration.

The port has estimated that the industries would generate atleast 12 million tones of additional cargo. The port has also allotted sector wise industrial parks like the One for Petro Chemicals, Textiles and Agri processing including cashew.

As for infra the Port has decided to increase the draft from  14.2 meters to 15.5  meters to accommodate bigger vessels shortly he said. But industry sources point out that the competitor Colombo terminals have 18 meters draft.