The V.O. Chidambaranar Port at Tuticorin will soon have its second container terminal with a handling capacity of six lakh TEUs (20-foot equivalent units) to cater to the needs of export/import traders.

According to S. Natarajan, Chairman of the Port, the the eighth berth at the port is being converted into another container terminal with a draft of 12.80 meters and the estimated project cost is Rs. 312.23 crore.

The need has arisen as the container handling capacity of the existing terminal has reached a saturation point. The terminal will commence interim operations by deploying gantry cranes within two months and its full-fledged operations will commence from the beginning of 2014. The capacity of the port will increase to one million TEUs. The EXIM traders from Tirupur, Coimbatore, and Erode will benefit from this, he added. T. Johnson, President, Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Tuticorin and MD, St. John Freight Systems Ltd, Tuticorin, said it would be a significant development in trade operations. J.P. Joe Villavarayar, former president, All-India Chamber of Commerce and Industries, Tuticorin and MD, Villavarayar and Sons, said cargo volume would be doubled in the coming years. R. Edwin Samuel, former chairman, Confederation of Indian Industry, Tuticorin, also welcomed the initiative, the sources added.

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