Chennai Port posts operating surplus of Rs 42 cr

During 2012-13, exports of cars from here increased to 272,345 units compared with 252,640 units last year, even though the overall container traffic during the fiscal dropped

The Chennai Port Trust has posted an operating surplus of Rs 42 crore for the fiscal year 2012-13 despite a ban on usage of its facilities for iron ore and shifting of coal handling to Ennore Port. It is looking at new projects, including a roll-in, roll-out car parking facility, to support the increasing demand from the automobile manufacturers, according to a senior port official.

The port posted an operating surplus of Rs 42 crore and a net surplus of Rs 15 crore before tax as a result of cost-cutting measures and its works to improve efficiency in operational areas.

The cargo handled by it, however, declined four per cent to 53.40 million tonne during 2012-13 as compared with 55.71 million tonne in the same period last year.

Speaking to reporters regarding the performance of the port in 2012-13, Atulya Mishra, chairman of Chennai Port Trust, said the company was looking at investing around Rs 935 crore in new projects to get over from the losses it faced due to the loss of iron ore and dusty cargo. These cargo facilities are lying vacant and plans were on to find methods to overcome the issue.

During 2012-13, exports of cars from here increased to 272,345 units compared with 252,640 units last year, even though the overall container traffic during the fiscal dropped. The container traffic declined to 1,539,279 million tonne from 1,558,343 million tonne in 2011-12.

It is also looking at upgrading the Bharathi Dock-II, which was earlier handling iron ore, and Jawahar Dock (East) which was handling coal, and would appoint a consultant to look into the options, he added.