Container turnover in South Indian ports

The Container terminals in Chennai region have handled 2,30,956 TEUs during the first month of the current financial year nearly 30 per cent of the turnover in Mundra port in Gujarat or JNPT port in Maharashtra which are leaders in container handling in the country.

Both Mundra and JNPA started the container business nearly 25 years after Chennai Port introduced the system in the country but because of the superior Port infrastructure, elaborate rail connectivity which caters to the deep hinterland coupled with increased sailings of liner vessels, the ports in the west coast have emerged as leaders.

The two terminals in Chennai port managed by DP World Dubai and PSA Singapore together have handled 1,23,633 TEUs during April this year according to industry sources.  While the Adani ports managed terminal in Kamarajar port,Ennore handled 58,330 TEUs, the turnover Adani port owned  terminal at Katupalli was 48993 TEUs. Turnover of the container terminals in Chennai region have remained almost static for the past ten years.

With the turnover of the PSA Singapore owned Tuticorin Container terminal (TCT) in VOC Port Tuticorin remaining around 10,000 TEUS for the past ten years due to the court battle over issues relating to royalty, the port could handle 64,512 TEUs during April.  The Dakshin Bharat Gateway terminal handled 52,659 TEUs during this period. TCT had started the terminal way back in 2000 and was doing well before it had developed differences with the port administration over issues relating to royalty. As the infrastructure remains neglected for over 15 years, the port has been reduced to the status of a feeder port depending upon Colombo port for transhipment.

Cochin port where the shipping ministry has invested about Rs six thousand crores to develop the vallarpadem terminal has handled 55,041 TEUS. The terminal was developed with a view to woo transhipment traffic from Colombo Port but the mission is yet to be fulfilled in the last 15 years.

Container handling at Krishnapatnam port in south Andhra Pradesh has fallen steeply since the port was taken over by Adani Ports four years ago. In April the terminal handled 9388 TEUs. The Kakinada port, from where rice exports are taking place in a big way for the last three years has handled 5345 TEUs during this period.