Kerala - Kochi   

Port to cut vessel charges by half

Staff Reporter

To improve cost competitiveness

KOCHI: The Kochi Port will soon offer 50 per cent concession in vessel-related charges to mainline ships.

A meeting of the Board of Trustees decided this on Wednesday, said Chairman of Cochin Port Trust N. Ramachandran here on Thursday.

He was speaking at a workshop on evolving an export strategy for the State organised by the Kerala State Export Trade Development Council.

Mr. Ramachandran said the incentive for mainland vessels was to encourage direct sailing to destinations in Europe, the Americas and the Far East. He said dependence on transhipment through foreign ports resulted in delays of up to one month, a major problem facing the export business in the country.

He said practices that raised cost of cargo shipment from Kochi, compared with that in neighbouring ports, would be ended. Nine wheat shipments to Kochi were cancelled in a row recently. On enquiry, it was found that the cost of handling wheat here was substantially higher than that at a neighbouring port. With such variations in cost, it would be difficult for the port to woo more cargo. Cost competitiveness was one of the major factors in this regard.

He thanked Minister for Industries Elamaram Karim and the State Government for the support received by the port in rooting out practices that raised cargo-handling costs.

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