Kochi: DP World on Monday said the International Container Transhipment Terminal at Vallarpadam here, operated by it, has started the financial year 2016-17 with a record-breaking container handling performance.
The terminal in April, 2016, handled more than 40,000 TEU, which is the highest volume handled in a single month in the history of ICTT, and a 29 per cent improvement on the volume handled in April last year, the company said in a release here. The terminal's impressive performance in April came on the heels of a 32 per cent growth in volumes in the first quarter of the current calendar year (January to March 2016).
"ICTT has grown steadily so far in the current year, and we are happy that we are moving in the right direction at a very healthy pace," said Jibu Kurien Itty, Chief Executive Officer, DP World Cochin.
"We have excelled in our operational parameters with an average GCR (gross crane rate) of 31 moves per hour per crane, which has helped us to turn vessels around much faster than other ports in the region, thereby saving both time and money for shipping lines," he said.
"We have been working closely with our end-customers, the exporters and importers; and have successfully managed to facilitate the ease of doing business for them through Cochin. A prime example is the case of Walayar check post, which is no longer a bottleneck in the smooth movement of container trucks," Itty said in the release.
With attractive schemes offered by Cochin Port, and striking rates offered by ICTT, the terminal is hopeful to attract new services for US East Coast (USEC), it said. ICTT boasts best connectivity for all mainline carriers on the East-West shipping routes. It also has excellent connectivity to the South Indian hinterland, with regular scheduled train services to Inland Container Depots (ICDs) located in Irugur (Coimbatore) and Whitefield (Bengaluru).
"We have adopted a trade-friendly approach, and, With the assistance of the Cochin Port Trust (CoPT) and the Customs Department, we have taken pro-active measures to ensure ease of doing business in Cochin. Nevertheless, we still have a long way to go to achieve what we had originally envisaged for the terminal," Itty added.
(With inputs from Agencies)