In a major step towards increasing the berthing capacity of naval ships in Kochi, the Navy has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Cochin Port Trust (CPT) towards leasing of 228 metres of berths, Q2 and Q3 at Mattancherry Wharf for a period of five years.
The MoU was signed between the Chief Staff Officer (Operations) of Southern Naval Command Commodore Deepak Kumar and Gautam Gupta, Traffic manager of the Port Trust, at the Naval Base on Friday.
The lease, at an approximate cost of ₹10 crore a year, would not only enhance the growing partnership between the Navy and CPT, but will also provide the Navy with larger berthing space, thereby enabling the presence of naval ships in Kochi, both at naval as well as commercial jetties.
The expanded berthing space would also provide the much needed operational flexibility to naval ships based in Kochi, the Navy said in a media release. The MoU has been concluded to cater for the futuristic requirements of the Navy with sizeable increase in its fleet scheduled in the near future. This is the first time such an agreement has been signed between the Navy and CPT.
