Thoothukudi :

The first regular container service to Dubai from VOC Port was inaugurated on Tuesday by VOC Port Trust chairman S Anantha Chandra Bose.

The service, which would start from the wee hours of Wednesday, is expected to reduce shipment time by about four days from the port to Dubai as at present ships go via the Port of Colombo.

But now with the services of large container ships such as mv SSL Gujarat, which could carry 487 containers of 507 TEUs and is called in for the inauguration, the Port of Colombo could be avoided, hence saving both time and cost, sources said.

VOC Port will in a month run four container services, which would sail from berth 8 at the port run by Dakshin Barath Gateway Terminal Pvt Ltd (DBGT), to Jebel Ali Port in Dubai.

Addressing the media, DBGT CEO Ramji S Krishnan said with the mainland container service, ships no more need to go to the Port of Colombo for transshipment. “Both time and transshipment tariff should greatly be reduced due to the service.”

It has been taking 10 days for ships to reach Dubai via Colombo, but the service would reduce this to just six days, he said.

Addressing the media after the inauguration, VOC Port Trust chairman S Anantha Chandra Bose said the port, ranked third among 12 major ports in the country, will submit the report on the outer harbour expansion project to the Centre for cabinet approval within a week.

When asked about the ferry service to Colombo, he claimed that two private parties had shown interest in the project and added that VOC Port Trust would offer every help to companies.

The port would also introduce the radio frequency identification (RFID) system for containers which would reduce time and paper work and enable online transactions, the chairman said

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Tamil Nadu / Express News Service / February 11th, 2015