'Chennai Port to handle larger capacity container vessels'

The Chennai Port Trust as part of eyeing larger revenues in handling container vessels, has undertaken dredging at a cost of Rs 30 crore allowing larger ships to dock in the Eastern coast, a top official said today.
"Chennai Port Trust has become the first deep port Trust. It can handle vessels with 15.5 metres draft. No port has got this much deep draft facility in India. Total cost for this project is Rs 30 crore," Chennai Port Trust Chairman Cyril C George told reporters.
Elaborating about the plans under Mission Resurgence taken up by the Port, he said it would be able to handle vessels with tonnage of 8,000 TeU (twenty foot equivalent units) container ships and had already managed vessels with 7,800 TeUs tonnage facility from January.

Detailing about the performance of the Port in the last year, he said the port handled cargo of 50.06 million tonnes in 2015-16, a marginal dip of 52.54 million tonnes in previous year due to decrease in the traffic.
"Though the cargo handling has been less, the financials were stronger with net surplus of Rs 42.20 crore recorded in 2015-16 from Rs 23.09 crore in 2014-15," he said.
George said the Chennai Port Trust today signed a MoU with Southern Railway to optimise Rail throughput of automobile traffic for export through Chennai Port.

"It is aimed to facilitate transportation of automobiles from Walajabad to Chennai Port," he said.

The port has signed with a private player for transport of goods from Bengaluru to Chennai and trains are operated twice a week.
"We have now signed another MoU with company from Hyderabad. This will help us transport goods between Chennai and Hyderabad. We are expecting the service to begin from June 11," he said.