The five year long dream of Tamil Nadu Shippers
for a direct shipping service between Ports in the Chennai region with
Puducherry got fulfilled when the first container vessel M V Hope 7 berthed at
Puducherry port on February 11th marking the beginning of the
functioning of the satellite port from there to carry container consignment to
the mother ports.
Containers loaded
at Puducherry port will be cleared off all the formalities including customs
and ferried directly to the container terminals of Chennai, Kamarajar and
Katupalli ports and
directly loaded to the waiting ships. This will serve the dual purpose of
avoiding congestion both at the ports and the Grand Southern Trunk (GST) road
leading to Chennai from Southern Tamil Nadu.
The ship currently berthed at Puducherry Port
will take off on February 15 and reach the container terminals in all the three
ports the same day within 10 to 12 hours depending on the weather conditions.
Talking to Sagar Sandesh
Mr Naveen Prakash Director of Global Logistics Solutions India Private Limited
and Mr Jude Vallabhdas CEO of the company which operates the service said it
will be a biweekly service between the two ports. As of now there are no plans
to extend the service either to Cuddalore or Karaikal ports.
The vessel can carry forty containers and
the draft at Puducherry port is adequate to berth the vessel alongside.
The shippers will have the facility to
use the ice-gate facility put up by the customs. All other formalities are in
place for the launch of the service on February 15th.
Both Mr Naveen Prakash and Mr Jude
Vallabhdas exuded confidence the service
will be tremendous success and the industry in central Tamil Nadu will be
immensely benefitted.