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A new container service has commenced between the private Chennai International Container Terminals Pvt Ltd (CITPL) at Chennai port and Far East, according to a press release.
The service commenced at CITPL on January 2 with the arrival of Baltimore Bridge, a 4,500-TEU (twenty foot equivalent unit) container vessel operated by K Line.
Baltimore Bridge is one of the five vessels deployed on the Far East Chennai service with a port rotation of Chennai, Port Klang, Singapore, Manila, Busan, Qingdao, Shanghai, Shekhou, Singapore, Port Klang and Chennai.
The service is operated by seven consortium partners — CMA CGM, APL, RCL, K LINE, SIMATECH, TS LINES and COSCO, says a press release. CITPL completed discharging/ loading operations on the vessel within 28 hours, handling 3,800 TEUs at a vessel productivity rate of 103 moves per hour.
Chennai Port Trust Chairman P Raveendran said that the new service was a testament to the ability of the port and the container terminal in providing world-class services to meet customer requirements, the release said. According to Mike Formoso, Managing Director, PSA India, CITPL’s container volume grew 22 per cent in 2016, reflecting Chennai’s status as the key container trade centre of South India.
Increased berthingMeanwhile, Chennai port has further deepened depth at the Chennai Container Terminal Pvt Ltd (CCTPL) to offer the container handling facility on par with global standards. The port increased permissible draft at CCTPL to facilitate handling of vessels with a draft requirement up to 15 metres.
The port achieved another milestone of berthing the container vessel CMA CGM Bellini with a draft of 14.6 metres on Saturday at the private container terminal CCTPL.
With the increased berthing facility, the two private container terminals - CCTPL and Chennai International Terminals Pvt Ltd - inside the port can accommodate ships of draft up to 15 m.
The accrued benefits to shipping lines will be to deploy large vessels, thereby, reducing operating cost and further benefits to Chennai EXIM Trade, says a press release from the Chennai Port Trust.
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