CCEA approves channel deepening project

New Delhi: In a move that would allow Tuticorin Port to handle larger mainline vessels and bulk carriers, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has approved a proposal for undertaking Rs 538-crore channel deepening project at the port.

With the implementation of this project, Tuticorin Port will be able to handle mainline, fourth generation container vessels of 56,000 dead weight tonnage (DWT) or 3,000-4,000 twenty foot equivalent units of containers with overall length of 290 metre(m) and bulk carriers of up to 75,000 DWT with maximum draught of 12.8 m.

“It will also reduce the sea freight for bulk cargo and boost the Exim trade to save time and transhipment cost of vessels,” the Information and Broadcasting Minister, Mr P.R. Dasmunsi, said in a media briefing.