The Hindu Business Line : Concor Q1 domestic traffic growth likely to be 14%

Container Corporation of India’s domestic traffic is showing a healthy growth while the international traffic is dwindling largely due to the recession in many developed countries.

In April, the growth in domestic traffic was as high as 21 per cent over the same month last year, in the first two months of current fiscal (April and May together) it was about 16 per cent over the same period last year, and in the first quarter (April to June) the growth is likely to be around 14 per cent against the corresponding period of last year, according to a spokesman for Concor.

The corresponding figures for international traffic present a dismal picture.

In April, the drop in international traffic was 14 per cent; in the first two months, it was 9.6 per cent, and in the first quarter, it is put at nine per cent against the corresponding periods of last year.

Total traffic

As a result, Concor’s total traffic growth, which was eight per cent in April and five per cent in April-May, is likely to be around 4.5 per cent in the first quarter.

Availability of rakes

The higher domestic loading is believed to be also because of improved availability of rakes.

“We’re adding two-three rakes every month to our fleet,” the spokesman for Concor told Business Line.

“Also, depending on the situation, we make available rakes earmarked for transporting exim traffic for domestic handling and at any point of time 20-25 BLC rakes, mostly used for exim traffic, are used for transporting domestic traffic.”

Interchangeability

Some times inter-changeability helps, that is, the same rake is used for domestic traffic on one leg and exim traffic for another and this happens when the rake carries domestic traffic to a port city and on return journey carries imports.

The drop in exports has been sharper than that in imports, it is pointed out.

China-made containers

Meanwhile, the delivery of Chinese-made containers to be used for Concor’s domestic movement will start shortly.

A total of 2,200 containers — 200 open top and 2,000 general containers totalling Rs 38.5 crore — have been ordered with a Chinese firm and the first batch of 100 open top containers will leave Shanghai port for Visakhapatnam shortly.

“The delivery of all the 2,200 containers will be completed within 2009,” the spokesman said.

Concor now has for domestic movement about 13,500 containers, mostly its own.

The number of boxes acquired on lease and used for domestic movement is around 6,000.

However, many of Concor’s own containers having become old need to be replaced, hence, the acquisition from abroad.

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