The Hindu Business Line : Kochi port to expand boat train pier jetty

THE Cochin Port Trust has proposed to develop its existing Boat Train Pier (BTP) jetty by extending it both length-wise and breadth-wise to make optimum use of the berth to handle more cargo.

At present, the BTP jetty has a length of 200 metres and the proposal is to widen it by 7 metres in both directions to accommodate long cargo vessels in future.

The estimated cost of construction is Rs 5 crore and the work can be completed in 10 months, senior port officials said.

The reconstruction of the BTP jetty will be more economical than the construction of a new berth, they added. Reconstruction is necessary due to lack of storage space available for cargo handling in the Ernakulam Wharf, as the Q-7 berth in the wharf was recently handed over to the India Gateway Terminal for container handling operations.

Currently, only Q-5 and 6 berths in the wharf are used for handling general cargo by the port.

Besides increasing the length and breadth of the BTP jetty, the port also has plans to expand the draft in the channel facing the jetty.

As the BTP jetty is facing the approach channel, it would be easy to accommodate drafted general cargo vessels, once the depth has increased.

The draft available now in the jetty is 10.5 m, which can be gradually increased by 13.2 m, as it is very near the approach channel.