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The Cochin Port Employees' Organisation, a trade union in the port, has suggested a review of the port's marketing strategy to meet the competition posed by the neighbouring ports.
A thorough restructuring of the port's functions and the introduction of modern technologies were necessary to revive Willingdon Island so as to once again attract traditional cargo as well as other bulk cargo vessels to the port, Mr C.D. Nandakumar, General-Secretary of the Association, said.
The port should concentrate on handling bulk cargoes since container operations had shifted to the newly commissioned Vallarpadam terminal.
Cranes
For this, higher capacity cranes were essential for the speedy turnaround of vessels. However, the restrictions imposed by the Navy on installing higher capacity cranes were hindering handling operations, he added.
According to him, the obsolete cranes at the port trust were decommissioned in keeping with the directive of the Directorate of Dock Safety.
He said Kochi port might be the only major port without a single wharf crane for loading and unloading of bulk cargoes.
There is also much potential to enter into container handling operations in Willingdon Island, which would complement the efficient functioning of the ICTT and regenerate hundreds of lost jobs, he said.
Containers
The CPEO also requested the port trust management to enter into activities such as pre-stage operation for export container documentation, revamping and expanding CFS activities, exploring the possibility of handling empty containers by properly utilising the vast bonded, open areas for stacking of containers and commencement of stevedoring activities by the management as agents in the port.
The Union also conveyed to the Port Trust management the apprehensions of the port and land users in Willingdon Island who feared eviction from owned and rented buildings built on the port's land in light of the Government's proposal for a land use policy and the development of a Business Development District at South End.
Considering the financial crunch being faced by the port, the CPEO also requested the Centre to share the cost of maintenance dredging in the channel.
Following the commissioning of the Vallarpadam Terminal, the burden on account of dredging was Rs 120 crore a year, of which Rs 70 crore was meant exclusively for maintaining the depth of the ICTT, he said.
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