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In a move that redefines the partnership between government-owned corporates, Cochin Port Trust (CPT) and Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Ltd (FACT), two of the leading PSUs in Kerala, flagged off the first containerised consignment of fertilisers from Kochi to Haldia by the coastal shipping route.
Since 2019, FACT had been planning to look beyond the South and enter the eastern markets as part of its plan to build up a pan-India presence. Gearing up to market ammonium sulphate in West Bengal, it was looking for a viable mode of transport. At this point, CPT’s business development team stepped in and offered a solution by way of ‘door to door’ movement using coastal shipping, which has lot of advantages such as avoidance of multiple handling, elimination of any chance of contamination and pilferage, less damage to the cargo etc.
Finally, the efforts put in by all the stakeholders resulted in shipment of the first lot of 20 TEUs containing 560 tonnes through MV SSL Vishakhaptnam, operated by Shreyas Shipping and Logistics Ltd, a Transworld Group Company.
The containers, after loading at FACT, Udyogmandal, were jointly flagged off by M Beena, Chairman, Cochin Port Trust and Kishor Rungta, CMD, FACT.
Beena thanked FACT for agreeing to undertake modal shift of its cargo bound for the West Bengal market. She said that a small step taken today will result in bigger coastal shipments in the coming days, which is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister for higher utilisation of the waterways and reduced congestion on the roads and railways.
Rungta highlighted the need for reaching out to new markets by the company through a cost effective mode of transport to remain completive.
Incidentally, promotion of coastal shipping is one of the focus areas of “Sagarmala”, the flagship programme of the Shipping Ministry, and this initiative will bolster cost effective coastal shipping of fertilisers from ‘factory to farmer’.
The event also marked another milestone of CPT-FACT partnership in signing of a MoU for the reconstruction of SCB for handling liquid ammonia at a cost of ₹20.90 crore, with ₹9.59 crore to be funded under Sagarmala programme and the balance to be shared by CPT and FACT.