The Hindu Business Line : ‘Vallarpadam terminal to be made key catalyst of future trade in India’

Mr Mohammed Sharaf, Chief Executive Officer of DP World, has said that creating a transhipment facility such as international container transhipment terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam will definitely benefit the growing trade in south India.

Close to 60 per cent of the trade volumes generated out of south India get transhipped on to mainline vessels calling at hub ports such as Colombo and Kochi is strategically placed in terms of geography for quick access to the major trade routes, he said at an interaction with media persons here.

Port location

Mr Sharaf, who was here in connection with a visit to the Indian sub-continent region, said that the emergence of ICTT at Vallarpadam, the first of its scale and kind within in India, will play a key role in making Kochi a strategic port location to the shipping community.

Indian subcontinent region is one of DP World’s strong propellers of growth in the future and the company is committed to making ICTT a key catalyst of future trade in India, he said. Being adjacent to main east-west sea trade route, he said ICTT will assist the shipping world by reducing India’s dependence on foreign ports for transhipment thereby reducing overall costs.

Work on schedule

Mr Sharaf also clarified that there will not be any delay in commissioning of the project on account of the economic slowdown and the construction of the Phase I A (600 metres of quay length being developed) will be completed by end 2009.

The work at the site is going on at a hectic pace to meet the time schedule. Work on the rail connectivity has also commenced where ICTT is going to be connected to the mainland by one of the longest railway bridge tracks.

One of the strong advantages of ICTT will be the basket of multimodal options available to exporters and importers connecting to the transhipment hub when compared to the current scenario where rail/road transportation is not an option, he said.

Some of the major global container shipping lines have shownkeen interest in having their services call at ICTT.

However, he declined to divulge the names of those shipping lines that have agreed to commence their voyage.

The company is also looking at starting supporting business such as container rail service once the Vallarpadam project is fully developed.

He pointed out that there are plans to start train service from Vallarpadam to various ports in the country as part of the company’s long-term strategy.

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