The Hindu Business Line : Kochi steamer agents seek permanent berth in board

THE Cochin Steamer Agents Association, which has not got a representation in the board of trustees of the Kochi port, has now requested the Union Shipping Ministry to consider their representation in the board to be re-constituted soon.

A permanent berth in the board is a long pending demand of the steamer agents as they are actively involved in the day-to-day activities of the port.

The association members, in their capacity as agents, represent most of the world's shipping companies and contributing substantially to the port's revenue.

The association was formed in 1978 and has now a membership of over 72 companies.

Almost all the shipping lines whose vessels call at the port are members of the steamer agents and provide a major portion of the revenue to the port. Irrespective of this fact, the demand for representation in the board has been consistently ignored.

Meanwhile, the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry has also urged the Ministry to consider its representation for a membership in the board as the Chamber was dropped from the board following its reconstitution in 2002.

A spokesman of the Chamber said that it had been closely associated with port ever since its inception in 1936 and had a representation on the board since 1964 when the port was constituted as a trust with the specific task of representing "shipping interests".