The Hindu Business Line : CCT hopes to clear container backlog soon

CHENNAI Container Terminal (CCT), the private container operator at Chennai port, hopes that the huge inventory of import boxes in its yard will get reduced in the next few days.

The recent rains caused flooding of the CCT yard, which slowed down vessel movements and delivery of import containers considerably. Besides, there were three holidays — Diwali, Ramzan and a Sunday. These holidays meant that direct delivery of boxes did not become eligible for movement under the Concor en bloc for almost ten days, said the official.

As a result, over 6,000 boxes piled up in the yard, and this was reduced to 3,000 last week following evacuation of import containers lying beyond the `free days' inside the yard, according to an official of CCT.

Containers, which have exceeded free days in the CCT, were evacuated to various container freight stations (CFS). This was necessary as high yard inventory affected vessel productivity and resulted in congestion, the official said.

The transportation charges for containers moved under the en bloc evacuation was paid by consignees to the CFS concerned. The charges were Rs 1,900 for a TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) and Rs 2,500 for a forty-foot equivalent unit, the official said.

Since June 2004, import containers lying in the CCT yard after free days are being evacuated to the Concor CFS at Tondiarpet in North Chennai. However, since Concor's CFS was also flooded, it was decided to send import boxes to other CFSs, the official said.

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