Cochin port will witness the first call of a car carrier ship, which is being used to transport cars in bulk across the country, on Monday evening. The carrier will land 500 cars at the port.
The ship, m.v. Dresden, plying along the Ennore-Cochin-Kandla-Cochin-Ennore route, connects the automobile production hubs in Tamil Nadu in the east coast and Gujarat and Haryana in the west coast, says a Cochin Port Trust release issued here on Saturday.
The 177-metre-long ship has 13 decks with the capacity to carry 4,300 cars. The ship, with Cyprus registration, has obtained a licence for transporting cars between ports in India.
Automobiles are driven in and out of car carriers, which are roll on, roll off (Ro-Ro) ships. Vehicles of automobile majors such as Renault, Ford, Hyundai and Toyota from Tamil Nadu and Honda and Ford from Gujarat are being transported in this manner.
Clean surroundings needed
Car handling requires clean surroundings and storage area of high quality, the release adds. Cochin port has identified the Q7 berth at Ernakulam wharf for handling the ship, and a 4,000 square metre yard has been allotted for storage. The operator of the carrier is the Chennai-based SICAL Logistics.
Kerala is a major market for cars with annual sales of about 1,50,000 to 1,80,000 units. The potential for the coastal transport mode could be high, given that cars are now largely being transported by huge car carrier trucks plying on congested roads. Cochin port could play an increasing role in coastal car transportation — 50 ship calls a year with 1,000 cars per call will be required if 30 per cent of the Kerala market shifts to the coastal transport mode.
At adequate volumes, car transportation could provide a steady source of income of about Rs.3 crore to Rs.6 crore per annum to the port. It could also contribute to savings in terms of reducing emissions on roads.
The port has offered rebates in charges in advance for attracting business — concessional wharfage of Rs.500 per car and Rs.900 per truck, and a 50 per cent rebate in the notified vessel-related charges.
