R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, APR 23
The Indian government is in talks with Russia to open 5,600 nautical miles (nearly 10,600 miles) long Maritime corridor between Chennai Port to Vladivostock Port, the largest city in Russia’s Far Eastern region, said Union Minister of Ports, Shipping & Waterways and Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal here on Sunday.
Addressing reporters on the sidelines of inauguration of major infrastructure projects worth over Rs 148 crore, aimed at boosting the capacity of Chennai and Kamarajar ports, the Minister said that the ongoing discussion between India and Russia to open up ‘Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor’ in order to bolster the maritime trade between the two countries.
- The minister inaugurates infra projects worth Rs 148 crore to augment capacity in Chennai & Kamarajar Ports
- Bunker Berth at Bharathi dock in Chennai expands by 1 MMTPA capacity; to enable Bunker tankers up to 10,000 DWT
- Upgradation of Port Access Road ‘Amrit Mahotsav Marg’ from Valhur junction to KPL NCTPS junction for seamless cargo traffic
- Under Green Port Initiative, Sewage Treatment Plant with 40 KLD capacity & Goods Shed Yard inaugurated
- Chennai Port achieved an operating income of Rs 943 crore for 2022-23 and a net surplus of Rs 150 crore, which is the highest in the last 13 years.
- The Kamarajar Port also crossed the Rs 1,000-crore income mark for the first time in FY23
The minister inaugurated a bunker berth at Bharathi Dock, Goods Shed yard at Jolarpet and 40 KLD (Kilo Litres per day) sewage treatment plant at Chennai port. The total cost of these projects is more than Rs 55 crore.
The 182-m Bunker berth Project, funded under the Sagarmala scheme of Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (MoPSW), is worth Rs 50.25 crore. This will enable a capacity addition of 1 MMTPA (Million Metric Tonnes Per Annum) and will also handle Bunker Tankers up to 10,000 DWT. This will serve the bunkering needs of vessels calling at the regional ports in Chennai, Kamarajar and Kattupalli and other vessels passing from nearby, the minister added.
The minister said, “The rich history of Tamil Nadu’s marine trade has been a bedrock of growth and development of Indian economy. As we work towards building an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, these projects are expected to play a pivotal role in engineering the positive turnaround in the marine sector of the region. The projects inaugurated today will not only empower Tamil Nadu’s marine sector but also enable growth multipliers in the regional trade along with the EXIM trade. Our conscious effort to unlock the humongous potential of Blue Economy, through revolutionary schemes like Sagarmala, is in sync with the vision of new India as envisaged by the Prime Minister Modi.”
Commenting on the furthering marine cooperation between Russia and India, Sonowal said, “India is in talks with Russia to open up Chennai-Vladivostok Maritime Corridor to further the special relationship between the two countries while unlocking the huge trade potential in blue economy. This will enable the shipping transportation between these two ports within 10 to 12 days. Under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India affirms its commitment to rejuvenate its trade & investment potential to propel the growth of India. This corridor will serve this purpose acting as a conduit of growth & investment cooperation between two historic cities with rich marine history – Chennai and Vladivostok – of the two countries.”
Goods Shed facility at Jolarpet
The 15,000 Sq Meters large Goods Shed facility, with loading & stacking facilities at Jolarpet, will enable movement of cargo from up to Chennai Port through railway, increasing movement of cargo especially containers. The port will also get a revenue share (from Southern Railway) from the Terminal Access Charges.
Green Port initiative
As part of the Green Port Initiative of MoPSW, the Sewage treatment plant of 40 KLD capacity will enable reuse of waste water after treatment for various purposes. The Amrit Mahotsav Marg between Kamarajar Port’s 4.8 km access road from Vallur junction to NCTPS junction was built with an investment of ₹88 crores. This will boost hassle free movement of cargo with better road connectivity to the port. Widening and Concreting of Port Access Road from Vallur Junction to NCTPS junction was completed under Sagarmala and one of the “National Infrastructure Pipeline” projects of MoPSW.
Sagarmala Programme in Tamil Nadu
Out of the total Sagarmala Projects, 108 projects worth Rs 1.46 Lakh. Crore are being implemented in the state of Tamil Nadu. Of the 108 projects, 43 projects worth Rs 34,752 Crore have already been completed, 34 projects worth Rs 67,759 Crore are under Implementation and 31 projects worth Rs. 44,057 Crore are under various stages of development.
Port modernization
Under the Port Modernisation category, 44 projects worth Rs 49,045 Crore, some of the key projects under this category being ‘Development and Operation of a full-fledged Truck Parking Terminal adjacent to NH-7A opposite to Fisheries College at VoC Port’, ‘Dredging the dock basin for coastal cargo berth at VOC Port’ etc.
Under the Bharatmala Pariyojana initiative, a new Greenfield Corridor Project is underway in the state of Tamil Nadu. This involves the development of a Double Tier 4-lane Elevated Corridor from Chennai Port to Maduravoyal.
The completion of this project is expected to alleviate… pic.twitter.com/f6AelqIlsy
— Nitin Gadkari (मोदी का परिवार) (@nitin_gadkari) April 23, 2023
Chennai port backbone of EXIM trade in TN
The Chennai Port has been playing a crucial role in the industrialization of the southern India. Along with the Kamarajar Port, the Chennai port has been the backbone of the EXIM trade of the State. Chennai Port achieved an operating income of Rs 943 crore for 2022-23 and a net surplus of Rs 150 crore, which is the highest in the last 13 years. The Kamarajar Port also crossed the Rs 1,000-crore income mark for the first time in FY23. KPL recorded a net surplus (profit before tax) of Rs 670 crore in 2022-23, an increase of 24.39% over the previous year.
PM lauds tree plantation initiative at Tuticorin port
पर्यावरण सुरक्षा की दिशा में इस नेक और दूरदर्शी प्रयास के लिए @vocpa_tuticorin को बहुत-बहुत बधाई। https://t.co/QLFmlfMvxV
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 23, 2023
Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the tree plantation initiative at Tuticorin port. In year 2022, 10 thousand saplings were planted by Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways at Tuticorin port which are now taking the form of trees and will prove to be beneficial for the coming generations.
