The Cochin Steamer Agents Association (CSAA) will take the lead to improve the cargo throughput by organising marketing initiatives in the hinterland in association with the port management, terminal operator and various other stakeholders.

Prakash Iyer, the newly-appointed president of the Association said the objective is to instil confidence in the Exim trade in the neighbourhood to bring in more cargo and generate revenue.

In an interaction with Business Line , he pointed out that advantages such as skilled labour and road-, rail- and inland water-connectivity have not helped the port to leverage its brand in the international shipping arena.

He admitted that the handling costs in the International Container Transhipment Terminal has gone up several times. The main reason for this is the higher Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) rates. Since the distance between the shippers’ premises and the terminal has increased, the transportation cost has also gone up.

High rates At the meetings held in Kollam and Malabar region shippers highlighted the issue of higher ratesas “not healthy to compete in the international market”. The traders also stressed the need to maintain the productivity of 25 moves per hour.

Iyer said the Association has assured them of taking corrective action by interacting with concerned officials.

He said the Association has plans to improve the business through Kochi by attracting more cargo through business interactive meetings. A 20 per cent growth target in container volume has been fixed for 2014-15. The port’s box traffic stood at 3.46 million TEUS in the last fiscal.

He said the strikes by unauthorised trade unions have lead to shipping delays and an increase in operational costs, and have also affected the image of the port. .

The port management could also improve its revenue by focussing on bulk vessels operations, cruise initiatives, optimal utilisation of port’s container freight stations etc, the Association suggested.

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