This comes as the Cochin Port faces major competition from its new sibling, the Vizhinjam Port, in not just transshipments, but possibly gateway ops as well.

This comes as the Cochin Port faces major competition from its new sibling, the Vizhinjam Port, in not just transshipments, but possibly gateway ops as well.

This comes as the Cochin Port faces major competition from its new sibling, the Vizhinjam Port, in not just transshipments, but possibly gateway ops as well.

Amid the rapid rise of the Vizhinjam Port in Thiruvananthapuram, the Cochin Port has planned a major boost for gateway operations at its International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) in Vallarpadam.

The idea is to deepen the channel draft and provide a much-needed infrastructure boost, in order to make the DP World-led ICTT a future-ready facility.

“Vizhinjam is primarily a transshipment terminal, whereas Cochin is essentially a gateway terminal, although it also handles a significant volume of transshipment cargo," said M. Angamuthu, Chairperson-in-charge of the Cochin Port Authority (CoPA), as per a Hindu BusinessLine report.

Notably, though Vizhinjam is primarily a transshipment port, it is all set to begin gateway cargo operations in August this year.

This would enable Vizhinjam to handle export-import (EXIM) operations, just like the Cochin Port, but on a larger scale, due to its numerous advantages over the latter, of which the most important ones are draft depth and fewer operational constraints.

In fact, gateway cargo operations are a key part of the state government's 100-day action plan, and the larger goals under 'Mission Samudram' to transform Kerala into a port state.

The National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) approval of the safety measures required at the junction of the port approach road and NH 66 is now the second-last hurdle before the state government can give its final proposal for gateway operations to begin at the port.

In that case of the Cochin Port, Angamuthu highlighted Kochi’s strategic advantages, including its proximity to major international shipping routes and strong road, rail and inland waterway connectivity, which offers significant chances to build associated port infrastructure.

Pointing out that tackling the Cochin Port's key issues—draft depth and infrastructure limitations—itself would help the Cochin-Vizhinjam cluster become a formidable maritime force in South India, he explained a series of measures that DP World was taking, in that regard.

The first of these key measures is the plan to deepen the port's existing 14.5m draft to 16m—against Vizhinjam's existing 18m draft that will be deepened further.

CoPA has appealed to the Kerala government for an alternative to share the dredging and draft maintenance costs with other stakeholders that use those waters, including Indian Navy, Coast Guard and Cochin Shipyard.

The second is the plan to develop a near-500km rail service between Bengaluru and the ICTT, subject to demand potential, while the third is to upgrade its Q7 Berth into a dry cargo terminal, especially for steel.

The other issues that DP World's plans face include restrictions on gantry crane heights due to the port's proximity of the Southern Naval Command, labour issues, higher manpower costs, and productivity constraints.

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