The shore-based bagging plant of Penna Cements has commenced operations at Kochi port with the first vessel Penna Suraksha carrying 25,000 tonnes of cement reaching the port.

The cement brought from Krishnapatnam Port is being transferred from the ship to the silos located in the cement terminal at Q6 berth of Ernakulam Wharf through pneumatic suction. Catering to the Kerala market, the company has set up a ₹60-crore facility to handle powdered cement.

According to AV Ramana, port Chairman, this modal shift in transport of cement from road/rail to shipping is another step towards promoting coastal shipping envisaged under the Sagarmala programme. Cement being a high-volume, low-value product, low-cost sea transport is a game changer in logistics. The National Perspective Plan lists coastal movement of cement as an important segment of India’s coastal shipping potential, he said.

The bagging terminal of Penna Cement is the fourth such terminal in Kochi. The terminal set up in 1.14 hectares land leased by the port is expected to handle 3 lakh tonnes of cement annually.

At present, three cement terminals (Ambuja, UltraTech and Zuari) are in operation. Malabar Cements has also been allotted land for setting up a bagging terminal. The three currently operational terminals handle 7,83,000 tonnes of cement annually and a throughput of 1.5 million tonnes is expected by 2020. The current annual sales volume of Penna Cements for the whole of India is 5.80 million tonnes, of which 0.30 million tonnes is in Kerala, which is confined to the northern parts. The packing terminal here will be catering to the requirements of central and south Kerala.

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