In a major boost to the manufacturing and trading sectors in the Central Travancore region, the Kottayam port, the first multi-modal Inland Container Depot (ICD) in the country using inland water navigation, has begun moving domestic cargo.
Marking the opening of coastal movement through the port here, a 40-foot-long container was brought in from Gujarat the other day. According to port officials, the consignment containing raw material for the natural rubber-based manufacturing units in ‘the Kottayam belt,’ was transported by road from Kochi.
Abraham Varghese, Managing Director, Kottayam port, said the port was preparing to conduct the coastal movement on a regular basis, besides the export-import operations. Till now, the clients in the region used to take delivery of their cargo directly from the Kochi port.
“This marks a shift from port-to-port service to a door-to door operation by which cargo travels from a port in Gujarat all the way to Kottayam. Besides bringing down the cost of transportation, it will also help de-congest the roads once we resume the barge operations,” he said.
Port officials claimed that considering the difference in ground rent and other costs between the ports at Kochi and Kottayam, the customer could save at least ₹3,000 per container by opting for a point-to-point service.
Meanwhile, the port officials have resumed consultations with a couple of barge operators for resuming water navigation. Upon closing a deal, the port would also require to take permission from the State government for commencing barge operations.
An application by the port authority seeking a licence to operate as a Customs Port under Section 7 of the Customs Act had been under active consideration of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).The licence will enable the port to switch its cargo traffic operations entirely to the inland waterways.
Launched in 2007, the ICD Kottayam currently operates as a dry port with road and rail as its two designated modes of transit.
