The Hindu Business Line : Emirates Shipping expects growth in container traffic

Emirates WASL, the first mainline service of the Emirates Shipping Line, has called at the Kochi port as part of its schedule weekly voyage connecting major ports in India, China and West Asia.

The vessel, which arrived on Monday midnight with 85 containers, has left the port to the JNPT after a 12-hour stopover with 210 loaded containers meant for various West Asian destinations.

Mr Vijay Minocha, Managing Director, Emirates Shipping Line, said that the company is anticipating a growth in the number of containers from the region to the tune of 800 TEUs in a month, which is likely to grow by 25 per cent.

Considerable Growth

The container traffic from India is likely to increase in the next 10 years to touch 17 million TUEs and for this, there is a need for setting up more ports, he said. Secondary ports should also be developed to cater to the growth, he said.

Distance wise, Kochi is more economical than any other ports in the country and there is a good potential of attracting reefer cargo originating from the State to boost the trade. The direct sail from Kochi is a result of the demand around here and there will be a lot of intangible benefits to customers with the introduction of the direct service, he said. The Cochin Custom House Agents Association President, Mr C.P. Xavier, said that that the introduction of mainline vessel connectivity between China and the Kochi port would be beneficial for the exim community and also for the hinterland's cargo.

Transhipment Charges

The new service would reduce the transit time and freight charges could be reduced by way of avoiding transhipment charges for the exports/imports through Kochi. The availability of dedicated scheduled weekly mainline service is an added attraction to the exim community, especially when many of the Indian entrepreneurs are setting up their production/business centres in China.

Shipping is responsible for 90 per cent of the world trade and India-China trade assumes important role in the shipping sector with vast potential to capitalise on, he said.