IWAI to float tender for new ro-ro service operator

Cancellation of service hits container freight station

The ro-ro service was introduced in 2011 to help faster movement of container lorries, and to decongest the city roads

The Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) is in the process of finding a new operator for the roll-on roll-off barge service to ferry container lorries to the International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) on Vallarpadam island.

IWAI sources said that a tender was expected soon to find a barge operator. The new tender is being floated after the Cochin Port Trust terminated the contract with the former service operator for violation of contract conditions. The port authority said that the service operator had failed to make a security deposit, and the service operator had said that the operations had become financially unviable because of a significant drop in volumes.

The ro-ro service was introduced in 2011 to help faster movement of container lorries, and to free the city roads, which are frequently congested with heavy traffic during peak hours. The barge service was a joint initiative of the Cochin Port Trust and the Inland Waterways Authority.

Meanwhile, the cancellation of the ro-ro service has seriously hit the operations of the container freight station (CFS) on Willingdon Island operated by the Port Trust. Sources in the shipping business here said that the port’s CFS is a preferred destination for exporters because of the efficient operations at the CFS.

However, sources pointed out that the volumes at the port CFS has fallen at least 20 per cent owing to the termination of the ro-ro service. Cargo, especially those loads coming from southern districts like Alappuzha, are now being diverted to other private freight stations in the vicinity of the Vallarpadam ICTT. Its reputation has attracted large volumes of cargo, mostly those coming in less than container load volumes. The skill of the labourers, the comparable cost of operations and other facilities at the CFS have been major attractions for the exporters using the facility. The port CFS, besides having an area of around 10,000 square metres of covered space and 20,000 square metres of open space, can handle up to 18,000 TEUs of cargo annually.

The CFS has also on-wheel stuffing and de-stuffing facilities; 152 reefer plugs, and are served by experienced fork lift operators.