KOLLAM : Taking a leaf out of the book of countries like the Netherlands, Denmark and Greece, Kerala is getting ready to tap its long coast line by starting its own coastal shipping project. The immediate plan is use this channel to ferry containers from Vallarpadam Container Transshipment Terminal and thus decongest roads leading to Kochi. The project is expected to be up and running by April 2012.Director of Ports Jacob Thomas told Express that various shipping companies and industrial representatives have shown keen interest in the coastal shipping project. “The cashew industry in Kollam will be a major beneficiary. The same will hold true for the rubber industry concentrated in Kottayam and Pathanamthitta.The construction industry too will benefit through the export of raw materials like cement and marble,” he said.“Coastal shipping had become inevitable as the road transport network in the state is facing serious bottlenecks in meeting the growing requirement of goods movement,” he said.Kochi-based Great Sea Shipping Pvt Ltd confirmed its plans to launch river-sea vessels providing container transportation services operating on both fixed schedules and charter basis. Regi Mathews, executive director, Great Sea Shipping, said the company would commence operations with two vessels connecting Kollam port and Vallarpadam terminal, by April 2012. Each vessel would have the capacity to carry 52 containers.“We were among the first in the country to secure licence late last year following the revision of Indian River-Sea Vessel Act by Director-General of Shipping.“The vessels are under construction at the Century Shipyard, Panavally, Alappuzha” Mathews said.The project is expected to give a fresh lease of life for the ailing cashew industry. Around 35,000 containers of imported raw cashew is brought from Kochi and Tuticorin ports a year and around 10,000 containers of cashew kernels move out of Kollam for exports, both by road.“The industry has to shell out around `13,000 per container by road. Once the costal shipping project gets going and“Kollam port is activated, crores of rupees can be saved,” said Cashew Manufactures and Exporters Association General Secretary, Abdul Salam.The cashew industry has reason to cheer as the expense incurred in transporting a container on the Kochi-Kollam sea route will be only 40 per cent of what it currently costs by road. If the vessels operate within 12 nautical miles, thus ensuring non-entry into the international sea route, the journey would take just over six hours.For the Kottayam-centric rubber industry to benefit from this project, the inland waterways, comprising river and backwater routes, will have to be made navigable. This will be the second phase of the project, thus fully integrating many non-coastal pockets with both minor and major ports in the state.
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