The Kochi International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), locally known as the Vallarpadam Terminal, is the first transshipment terminal in India and the first container terminal to operate in a

SEZ A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...

. It is part of the

Cochin Port Cochin Port or Kochi Port is a major port on the Arabian Sea – Laccadive Sea – Indian Ocean sea-route in the city of Kochi and is one of the largest ports in India. It is also the first transshipment port in India. The port lies on t ...

Kochi Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. Being constructed in three stages, the first phase of the terminal was commissioned on 11 Feb 2011. This can handle cargo up to one million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units) per annum. On completion of the third phase, the terminal will be able to handle 5.5 million

Twenty-foot equivalent unit The twenty-foot equivalent unit (abbreviated TEU or teu) is an inexact unit of cargo capacity, often used for container ships and container ports.Rowlett, 2004. It is based on the volume of a intermodal container, a standard-sized metal box whic ...

s (TEUs) of cargo per annum. The terminal is operated by the Dubai Ports World (DPW), which will operate it for 30-years after which the control will come back to the Cochin Port Trust.

History

Container Transshipment Terminal, Kochi first came to the mind of Dr. Babu Paul IAS, He proposed this project to K Karunakaran but the central government was not interested in this project. On 16 February 2005,

Dubai Ports World DP World is an Emirati multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones. Formed in 2005 by the merger of Dubai Ports Auth ...

announced that it has signed an agreement with the

Cochin Port Trust Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Ke ...

(CoPT) to construct, develop and operate an International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) – An India Gateway Terminal – at

Vallarpadam Vallarpadam is one among the group of islands, that form part of Kochi, in the state of Kerala, India. It is situated in the Vembanad Lake, locally known as The Kochi Lake and has a population of over 10,000. ''Vallarpadam'' is one of the two ...

. The project was, formally, launched with the laying of the foundation stone by

Manmohan Singh Manmohan Singh (; born 26 September 1932) is an Indian politician, economist and statesman who served as the 13th prime minister of India from 2004 to 2014. He is also the third longest-serving prime minister after Jawaharlal Nehru and Indir ...

, the

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

. Approval for the agreement was given by the Cabinet Committee of Economic Affairs of the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, c ...

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a part of the government in most countries that is responsible for matters related to the finance. Lists of current ministries of finance Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Finance (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Finance and Ec ...

and meanwhile, the

DP World DP World is an Emirati multinational logistics company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It specialises in cargo logistics, port terminal operations, maritime services and free trade zones. Formed in 2005 by the merger of Dubai Ports Auth ...

will manage and subsequently transfer its operations at the Rajiv Gandhi Container Terminal in

to the new terminal upon its completion. The

has been granted a 38-year concession for the exclusive operation and management of the site.

Overview

Vallarpadam Terminal is the first in the country to operate in a special economic zone. * In the first phase there will be 600 m Quay length and a draft of more than 15 m, when the terminal may handle 1 million TEUs * In the second phase the capacity will be enhanced to 3 million TEUs. * In the third phase the terminal may handle even up to 5.5 million TEUs. The total cost of the project is estimated at 3200 crore. DP World has estimated that the total initial investment required will be approximately US$20 million which includes the immediate provision of four RTGs and two Mobile Harbour Cranes to the Terminal -to improve yard handling, truck turnaround time and quayside operations. Strategically, located on the main east–west global shipping lines and offering draft of about 16 m,

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

is destined to develop as the premier gateway to

southern India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the States and union territories of India, Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and T ...

, as also offering an alternative to

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

for containers being transshipped for the Indian market.

Location

The terminal is located in the Vallarpadam island in Kochi. Vallarpadam panoramic view fom the top vallarpadam church

Opening

On 11 February 2011 the terminal was inaugurated by

, the

. The ceremony was attended by A. K. Antony,

G. K. Vasan G. K. Vasan (born Govindaswamy Karuppiah Vasan, 28 December 1964) is an Politician, Indian Politician and son of G. K. Moopanar, G. K Moopanar, a veteran Indian National Congress, Indian National Congress Leader. G K Vasan is currently the p ...

, K.C. Venugopal, R. S. Gavai,

V. S. Achuthanandan Velikkakathu Sankaran Achuthanandan (born 20 October 1923) is an Indian Communist politician who was the Chief Minister of Kerala from 2006 to 2011. At 82, he is the oldest person to have assumed the office. He served as the chairman of Admin ...

K. V. Thomas K. V. Thomas (born 10 May 1946), in full Kuruppasserry Varkey Thomas, is an Indian politician from Kumbalangi in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. He represented Ernakulam Constituency from 2009 to 2019. He was the Minister of State in ...

Vayalar Ravi Vayalar Ravi (born 4 June 1937
) is an Indian politician, who served as the

, C P Joshi, Mullapaly Ramachandran, and N Ramachandran.

Timeline

* 1 February 2005: Commenced Construction for Phase 1 * 16 February 2005: Concession Agreement Signed * 9 February 2011: First Train arrived at ICTT * 11 February 2011: Dr.Manmohan Singh Prime Minister of India Dedicated ICTT to the nation * 12 February 2011: First Containers Arrived at ICTT * 18 February 2011: First Vessel Arrived at ICTT ( OEL Dubai) * 6 December 2020: Arrival of MV. Maersk Edinburgh (largest vessel handled at ICTT)

References