D P World ups productivity at Cochin ICTT as carriers’ eye alternate hubs amid Sri Lanka crisis

DP World Ltd has raised the productivity at its International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) at Cochin Port as carriers weigh alternate hubs in the wake of the economic crisis in Sri Lanka that has hurt Colombo port, a regional transhipment hub.

The ICTT recently clocked 150 moves per hour, its highest ever vessel productivity since the February 2011 start, on ‘M V TCI Anand’, surpassing the previous best of 137 moves per hour achieved in July 2019.

With new services and ad hoc calls by lines, the ICTT boosted its transhipment throughout to the highest ever of 1,56,159 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in FY22, a growth of some 80% over the previous year. Overall, the ICTT handled 7,36,000 TEUs in FY22.

The ICTT maintained its top position among South Indian terminals in April with a volume of over 66,000 TEUs.

The ICTT is well connected with major cargo generating ports in the east and west coast of India through a coastal feeder network.

 It has direct services to the Far East, Mediterranean, Middle East, Europe, and South-East Asia.

Located close to the international sea routes with minimum deviation for carriers, the ICTT is the gateway port for the export-import (EXIM) cargo of South India, providing good connectivity by road and rail besides offering “competitive transhipment solutions in the region”.

The terminal is well positioned with the presence of allied industries like bunkering and a shipyard in the vicinity.

The newly added WIS service, and the ISG service connecting Cochin with the Middle East and the East Coast of India has helped achieve significant volume growth, especially in transhipment