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Raja Simhan T.E.

Project report for container transhipment hub at Colachel

Chennai , Nov. 3

Sethusamudram Corporation Ltd has invited bids from consultancy companies to prepare a detailed project report to develop a container transhipment hub at Colachel, a minor port in southern Tamil Nadu.

According to an official, the corporation, which is implementing the Sethusamudram Ship Canal Project, estimates that the container transhipment hub could cost more than Rs 2,000 crore. The Ministry of Shipping wanted it to do a feasibility study on the project.

The port is close to the international shipping route. Steamers of around 15,000 tonne can anchor at the port, which is now managed by the Tamil Nadu Maritime Board.

`Suitable port'

RITES Ltd, a consultancy organisation, in its "Port Vision 2020" report identified Colachel as a suitable port for a container transhipment hub. In 1998, the Tamil Nadu Government prepared a detailed feasibility report, which was later updated in 2000 by the Malaysian Government through the Construction Industry Development Board, Malaysia, for a greenfield port costing Rs 2,000 crore.

However, the interest shown by the Malaysian Government did not materialise for want of suitable financial arrangements by them.

The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Mr M. Karunanidhi, had taken up the issue of developing the transhipment hub at a recent meeting with the Prime Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh. Considering the potential and viability of the project, the State Government has now taken up with the Union Government to develop Colachel as a container transhipment hub, says the State Government's Policy Note for 2006-2007.

Feasibility report

The new feasibility report would include traffic study, vessels size analysis, perspective plan and development proposals, cost estimate and techno economic analysis of the proposed schemes. The study would also necessitate reviews of earlier feasibility reports. It will also review developments in container handling in neighbouring transhipment hubs and Indian container handling ports, especially Tuticorin, JNPT and Kochi, according to sources.

In 2005, around 1.80 million twenty-foot equivalent units of Indian containers (both import and export) were transhipped through Singapore and Colombo ports. This presents a ready market for the need to develop a South Indian transhipment hub to boost container throughput in the country. A hub is also required to handle post-Panamax vessels initially and super post-Panamax vessels immediately, thereafter.

To participate in the bid, the tenderer should have prepared one detailed project report of port planning assignment with a total project cost of at least Rs 1,000 crore any time during the past five years.

More Stories on : Infrastructure | Shipping | Tamil Nadu

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