Minister of State for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the loading operation for the maiden voyage of coastal shipping service Green Freight Corridor-2 from Kochi to Beypore and Azhikkal ports on Tuesday.
The service is expected to bring about a change in transportation of containers by easing congestion on the road and reducing carbon footprint. This also augurs well to connect the hinterlands of northern Kerala, particularly the export-import (EXIM) trade in Kozhikode and Kannur region, which will gain direct access to Vallarpadam container transshipment terminal by sea, saving cost and transit time.
Green Freight Corridor Service is operated by Round The Coast Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, a JM Baxi Group Company. Kollam port too will be added to the service.
The vessel will call at Kochi port twice a week and send containers to Beypore and Azhikkal ports by feeder service. The commodities that would be shipped include rice, wheat, salt, construction materials, cement, etc., unloaded at Kochi from Gujarat. On the return leg, operators are targeting to move exim cargo such as plywood, footwear, textiles, coffee, etc. Similarly, imported cashew containers would be moved from Kochi to Kollam at a later stage.
In order to promote coastal shipping of containers, Kochi port is offering 50% rebate on vessel-related charges for river-sea vessels. Similarly, the Kerala government has also offered an operational incentive at 10% above the road transportation cost. The hand-holding measures would help the sustenance of the service during the initial period and would encourage introduction of more services of this kind on a regular basis.
The service is in keeping with the priority that the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways has accorded to enhancing synergy between major and non-major ports, in order to promote coastal trade and provide sustainable, cost-effective and efficient customer solutions. By doing so, the Ministry aims to provide seaborne connectivity to trade and industries in the hinterland, reduce congestion on road and rail, besides bringing down logistics cost, says an official release.
