VOC Port augmenting capacity to serve the trade; handles more cargo/containers this fiscal till date
V. O. Chidambaranar Port, the vibrant seaport in South India, has handled cargo volumes of 29.70 million tonnes including 5.62 lakh TEUs of containers during this financial year 2024-25 up to December 19, 2024, marking an overall growth of 1.87% and 6.74% respectively. With the ever-increasing trend in cargo handling, the port has initiated several strategic capacity augmentation and cargo evacuation initiatives to increase cargo throughput, enhance handling efficiency and expand its market share in the region.
To give a fillip to the container trade, the Port’s 3rd container terminal, ‘Tuticorin International Container Terminal’, operated by J M Baxi Group, with a draft of 14.20 metres and LOA of 370 metres, was recently inaugurated by Mr Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways. The terminal has commenced operations and will handle 6 lakh TEUs per annum.
To augment the capacity of bulk cargo handling, the North Cargo Berth-III (NCB-3) with LOA of 306 metres will be dredged by the port by February 2025, to handle vessels up to 14.20 metres draft. Concurrently, dredging will also be done in the entrance channel, approach channel and turning circle area of the port. Interim operations of the terminal, on completion of dredging, shall commence using 2 Harbour Mobile Cranes with capacity of 100-120 tonnes, by end-January 2025. The NCB-3 will be mechanised by JSW Infrastructure Ltd by December 2026 with shore unloaders capable of discharging 7 million tonnes per annum.
Widening of entrance channel
In order to accommodate ships of 49 metres beam and LOA of 366 metres (existing beam 48 metres, LOA 310 metres), widening of the port’s entrance channel from 152.40 metres to 230 metres has been taken up.
To accommodate additional bulk and break-bulk cargo ships, the port has initiated proposal for construction of Berth No.10 with LOA of 440 metres, under EPC mode at an approximate cost of Rs 80 crore. The berth already has a draft of 10.70 metres and would be dredged to 14.50 metres in the near future.
Additionally, to utilise the idle capacity of Coal Jetty-1, operated by Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited (TANGEDCO), installation of link conveyor is in progress, for lighterage of coal vessels with arrival draft of 13 metres.
To increase the throughput of North Caro Berth-2, an additional Harbour Mobile Crane with capacity of 100 tonnes, to enhance the capacity to handle 25,000 tonnes a day, shall be commissioned by the 2nd week of January 2025. Additional berth area of around 5,000 sq. metres each in NCB-2 and NCB-3 shall be made available by backfilling with dredged materials, and it will be completed by this year end.
To handle smaller vessels of around 120 meters LOA and parallel body length 52-55 metres in the port’s oil jetty, 2 mooring dolphins with necessary infrastructure will be constructed by mid- 2025.
Green initiatives
To handle windmill blades and accessories for the proposed offshore wind energy hub along the coast of Tamil Nadu, the port has proposed to construct an exclusive terminal for handling blades and accessories, with LOA of 470 metres and back-up area of 30 hectares.
As a part of the mission to position VOC Port as the Green Hydrogen / Ammonia hub of India, it has allocated 501 acres of land to 4 firms for Green Hydrogen / Ammonia manufacturing & storage facilities at a total investment worth Rs 41,860 crore. A pilot demonstration project for establishing a Green Hydrogen production, storage and power generation facility using fuel cells is currently in progress and is expected to be completed by January 2025. In parallel, the port is set to execute Green Hydrogen Pilot Bunkering Project, which will demonstrate bunkering and refuelling facilities for Green Hydrogen and its derivatives. The port is also in the process of establishing necessary berthing and cargo handling infrastructure to handle Green Hydrogen / Ammonia to the tune of around 2 million tonnes per annum, highlighted a release.
Said Mr Susanta Kumar Purohit, IRSEE, Chairperson, VOC Port Authority: “With the advantages of being an all-weather port, strategic location close to East-West international sea route, lowest operating ratio of 28.18%, lowest turnaround time of container ships, well-established logistics support systems, seamless road and rail connectivity, upcoming industries and capacity augmentation initiatives, VOC Port has immense potential to become the Gateway Port of South India.”
Source: Exim News Service: Tuticorin, Dec. 23