The Hindu Business Line : Decks cleared for Kochi box terminal project

DECKS have been cleared for the implementation of the international container transhipment terminal (ICTT) project in Kochi, with the Cochin Port Trust receiving the acceptance letter from the Dubai Port International (DPI) for the project on Friday.

As per the bid conditions, the next step is the signing of the agreement, which has to be executed before November 25. This will be followed by the DPI taking over the existing Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal (RGCT) and continuing the operations there till ICTT is commissioned, but up to a maximum period of eight-and-a-half years. The deadline for DPI to take over RGCT and commence operations has been fixed as December 24, a press release issued here said.

With the acceptance of the letter in this regard, the port has crossed a major milestone in the implementation of its dream project, the port Chairman, Dr Jacob Thomas, said. For commencing the construction, certain precedents such as the achievement of annual traffic of 4 lakh twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), declaration of the project area as a special export zone (SEZ), environmental clearance for the construction, and rail and national highway connectivity have to be fulfilled.

DPI has evinced interest for early commencement of construction of ICTT and its commissioning for which certain facilitations are to be provided by the port. These are being examined in detail, he said.

As this project is of a complex nature, it requires various supporting infrastructure and the involvement of number of agencies. Therefore, close monitoring and co-ordination are required for its timely fructification, he added.