Online Berthing Facility at Cochin Port

As part of efforts to improve ease of doing business, the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) has introduced online berthing facility for vessels under instructions from the Union Ministry of Shipping.

“The trial on the facility has been successfully completed,” declared chairman of Cochin Port Trust G. Senthilvel here on Saturday in a statement issued to the press. The statement said online berthing facility, which started on July 20, was now available for all the berths in the port.

The introduction of the online system ends the era of berth meetings at the port offices and berths would from now on be allotted on the basis of online applications in the electronic mode.

The Port statement said the new facility would improve transparency, save time for the customers as they need not attend the berth meetings.

The port authority has stopped berth meetings with the commissioning of the new system.

New equipment

Meanwhile, the port authority has commissioned a new heavy duty reach stacker. The new equipment has the maximum capacity of 45 tonnes, which can be used to handle containers stacked up to five levels. The equipment is “highly advanced” and has the facility of spreader rotation in 360 degrees, side shifting in both the directions and telescopic boom extension up to 19.5 metres. It can handle both 20-foot and 40-foot containers.

The reach stacker was manufactured by Tractors India Limited, Kolkata, in technical collaboration with Hyster of the United States. The equipment cost the Port Trust Rs.2,34,20,938.

The addition of the new equipment in the fleet of container handling system ensures that the containers handled at the container freight station (CFS) are serviced without any delay and with more efficiency.

PORT OF COCHIN IN DEEP DRAUGHT CLUB

Port of Cochin has joined the club of deep draught ports in the world servicing 14.5-metre vessels with the call of the main line container vessel M V Petrohue on July 13, 2015 at the International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) Operated by Dubai Ports World

M V Petrohue is part of the shipping service GALEX (GLX—a consortium of ESL, KMTC, RCL and Hanjin) connecting Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Klang, Colombo, Cochin, Nhava Sheva, Mundra and Jebel Ali. GALEX, having seven vessels of 6,500 TEUs capacity each, reinforces ICTT  position as a transhipment hub with state-of-the-art facilities. GALEX vessels will call at Cochin on a weekly basis -generally on Monday every week.

Cochin Port Trust had made 14.5 metres draught available at the ICTT basin in April 2013.Cochin Port Trust  on Tuesday said CPT offers rebate up to 85 per cent on vessel-related charges to match the rates with that of Colombo Port.This rebate is available to all mainline vessels calling at ICTT, the CPT said. “As per the circular dated 26-06-2015, the discount of 85 per cent is available to mainline vessels having less than 13 metres draft handling a minimum of 300 TEUs containers at the Terminal, mainline vessels  having 13 to 13.5 metres draft handling a minimum of 800 TEUs containers at the terminal, and mainline vessels  having 13.5 to 14.5  metres draft, handling a minimum of 1800 TEUs containers at the terminal,” the port said in a statement. Any how for shipping companies to get concession "Bring more Teus and get Maximum Rebate"

GALEX SERVICE TO START FROM ICTT

A new Vessel Service -GALEX to start from ICTT from next week. Galex, a consortium of Emirates Shipping Line, KMTC, RCL and Hanjin, will be operating 7,000 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) vessels, which is expected to provide adequate capacity to the trade in this region. The Service will start with the arrival of  Vessel PETROHUE

Besides Kochi, the vessel will call on the ports of Pusan, Shanghai, Ningbo, Chiwan, Singapore, Port Klang, Nhava Sheva, Mundra and Jebel Ali.Shipping circles expects the new service, which starts from Korea, to provide competitive transit time and comprehensive networks.

The terminal, which commenced operations four years ago, has been struggling to get transhipment cargo. Galex becomes the first Far East carrier service to call at Kochi, creating feeder connectivity to the west coast, the sources said.

With the addition of the Galex service, there will be a total of four direct services with West Asia. The service is expected to help the effort to divert the Indian cargo going to Colombo, the source said.From Jebel Ali, the back haul route goes directly to Port Klang and Hong Kong, and ends at Pusan and in future there is a chance of Stoppage in Kochi.  With the Galex service, on the one hand, Kochi will return into the fray with a focused approach on transshipment, and become a state-of-the-Art transshipment hub. On the other hand, Galex is the first ever Far East carrier service to embrace Kochi, creating feeder connectivity to the East Coast,”

However, for Kochi Port, the new service also means additional expenses on dredging. The Port has already started maintenance dredging in the ICTT berth basin to increase the draft, as the 300 metre vessel needs a water depth of 14.5 metre.

With this service, Vallarpadam seems to be coming back into a focussed approach on transhipment.

SHIPPING COMPANIES CONTAINER SHIP FLEET 2014

Mainlines Berthing at ICTT VALLARPADAM

 The International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Vallarpadam,today witness  with two mainline mother vessels of  the same shipping line  berthing at the terminal on the same day. It is the first time two main line vessels of the same operator berthed simultaneously since commissioning of the terminal in February 2011. ‘CMA CGM Iguacu’ and ‘CMA CGM Opal’ are the mainline vessels reached Kochi on the same day.

mv CMA CGM Iguacu, is a part of CMA CGM’s Africa Service called ‘Swahili Express’ while mv CMA CGM Opal is part of North Europe Med Oceania - NEMO Service operated by CMA CGM and Hapag Lloyd. NEMO Service is a direct main line service to Europe from Kochi.CMA CGM Iguacu which made an ad hoc call at Kochi  mainly for exchange of empty containers aprox- 1200 units, exchange of empty containers known as equipment repositioning.  Equipment repositioning is very common among shipping lines to maintain equipment balance at various locations.

This vessel mainly carries empty containers from various ports in East Africa to India, and again will reposition empty equipment from Kochi and Tuticorin to Far East locations.   

  The service originates from Australia and connects all the Far East cargo to India and Europe. “Off late, due to the ongoing congestion at Tuticorin more and more mainline vessels are calling at Kochi.

“ This has also resulted in diversion of Tamil Nadu hinterland cargo to Kochi. Kochi is now having direct mainline connections to some of the major ports in Europe, Mediterranean and the Middle East,”  said the authorities of DP World, the operator of the terminal.

NEW CONTAINER TERMINAL IN TUTICORIN INAGURATED

The Cargo Operations in New Container terminal by  Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal at VOC Port at Tuticorin inagurated on 11th May  . Pacific International Line’s (PIL) M.V. Kota Nabil made a maiden call at Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal (DBGT) in Tuticorin after Chairman of VOC Port Trust A. Chandrabose formally inaugurated the cargo operations at the DBGT on Sunday.

This maiden call of PIL’s vessel heralded the opening of the DBGT for operations for vessels using ship’s gear

Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal is a special purpose vehicle incorporated by ABG Container Handling Private Limited, Mumbai, and is the concessionaire implementing this Private-Public Partnership project at Berth Number 8 of VOC Port Trust in Tuticorin. The DBGT has appointed a subsidiary, Bollore Africa Logistics (BAL), as its Management Contractor, who will be responsible for project implementation, including operations, maintenance, commercial/ marketing and day-to-day running of this container terminal. This modern container terminal is expected to be completely ready for commercial operations next year.

FREEDOM TARIFF FOR MAJOR PORTS

The Shipping Ministry has proposed that the 12 major ports in the country should have the freedom to fix tariff in tune with market forces, a plan aimed at making them competitive. The development comes in the backdrop of non-major ports eating into the share of major ports. "There is no parity in the regulation mechanism between the major port trusts and the non-major ports.

Whilst tariffs of major port trusts are regulated following cost plus return approach, non-major port trusts do not fall under tariff regulation. A need is, therefore, felt to give flexibility to the major port trusts to react to the market forces," the Shipping Ministry has said.

Seeking comments from stakeholders on 'Revised Guidelines for Determination of Tariff for Major Ports, 2014', the Ministry has said the reference scale of rates (RSOR) for commodity/containers, vessel-related services and various miscellaneous services or combination of services as the case may be, shall be notified by TAMP (Tariff Authority for Major Ports) for each major port trust."

It said for the purpose of proposing reference scale of rates, the major port trusts will first draw base scale of rates covering tariff for all cargo/commodity/container handling services, vessel-related services and miscellaneous services other than estate-related charges.

"Based on the average annual revenue requirement and taking into account the traffic, the major port trust will have the flexibility to adjust the existing rates subject to a maximum tariff hike of 35 per cent and draw the BSOR within the ceiling annual revenue requirement," the new guidelines said.

Shipping Minister G K Vasan has earlier said that the Ministry is finalising new guidelines which will provide a level-playing field across the port sector by allowing the port terminals to fix market-linked tariffs. The Shipping Ministry had earlier proposed rejigging TAMP.

TAMP was constituted in April, 1997, to provide for an independent authority -- the Port Regulatory Authority -- to regulate all tariffs, both vessel-related and cargo-related, and rates for the lease of properties in respect of major port trusts and the private operators located therein. There are 12 major ports in the country -- Mumbai,Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, Kolkata (with Haldia), Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Cochin, Paradip, New Mangalore, Marmagao, Ennore, Tuticorin and Kandla.