The Hindu Business Line : Container handling up 16% at ports for April-June

CONTAINER handling at Indian major ports went up by 16 per cent to 10.18 lakh twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the April-June 2004 quarter, compared to 8.79 lakh TEUs during the corresponding quarter in the previous year.

However, the total handling was lower than the 10.97 lakh TEUs target fixed by the Shipping Ministry for the first quarter in the current fiscal, according to data compiled by the Indian Ports Association (IPA), a body representing 12 Indian major ports, including Ennore, the country's first corporatised port.

The country's largest container terminal, the Jawaharlal Nehru Port, showed a drop in container handling during the period under review.

On the other hand, the other two major container terminals, Chennai and Tuticorin, showed improved performance in container handling.

However, both the ports missed the targets fixed by the Ministry.

The two terminals at JN Port — one run by the JN Port Trust and the other by P&O Ports - handled 6.03 lakh TEUs (6.28 lakh TEUs). The terminals missed the Ministry's target of 8.67 lakh TEUs.

The private terminal at Chennai run by Chennai Container Terminal Ltd (CCTL) of P&O Ports handled 1.35 lakh TEUs (1.14 lakh TEUs). It missed the target of 1.47 lakh TEUs.

Similarly, the private terminal in Tuticorin run by PSA-Sical handled 69,000 TEUs (68,000 TEUs). It failed to meet the Ministry's target of 72,000 TEUs.

According to an industry source, congestion at JNPT and frequent go-slow by CCTL workers at Chennai affected the performance of the two terminals respectively.

Tuticorin was able to maintain its share of container traffic, and the marginal diversion in container traffic from Chennai helped the port, the source added.