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.