Cochin Port to deepen navigation channel to accommodate mother ships

Kochi: Cochin Port Trust is revitalising its ambitious plan to deepen its navigational channel; a strategic move aimed at transforming Kochi into a world-class international transshipment hub.Currently, the ‘mother ships', massive international cargo vessels, cannot dock at Kochi due to depth constraints. These ships instead berth at the Port of Colombo and the cargo is redirected to Kochi via smaller feeder vessels. By deepening the channel, Kochi aims to handle these vessels directly. "The project aims to deepen the shipping channel from 14.5m to 16m to accommodate larger vessels at International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT), Vallarpadam. We've initiated steps for necessary consultancy and environmental clearances. We plan to start the dredging once we get the nod," a senior port trust official said. Last month, the port trust floated a tender for providing consultancy services for carrying out EIA studies and obtaining environmental and CRZ clearances. Economic forecasts suggested that the Rs 700 crore project could double the port's cargo handling capacity from the current one million TEU to a two million TEU. The project earlier faced delays due to local opposition and environmental concerns. It has now gained a fresh momentum following renewed interest from central govt. When the project was first conceived under Sagarmala scheme, the estimated cost was Rs 380 crore. Due to prolonged delays, that figure has nearly doubled, with current estimates hovering around Rs 700 crore. The port already spends over Rs 150 crore annually just to maintain current depths. Deepening the channel further is expected to add an additional Rs 50 crore to the annual maintenance bill. However, the project has caused mounting concern among local coastal communities. Locals fear that such drastic modification of the seabed will result in tidal surges, leading to sea erosion. They cite the severe coastal erosion and sea incursions in regions like Chellanam as a direct consequence of previous dredging activities. "The coastal residents have been fighting frequent flooding and coastal erosion following a major dredging for Vallarpadam container transshipment terminal. The shores along the coastal area will disappear if they increase the draft to 16m. So, the project should be implemented only after detailed and expert environmental studies," said Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi (TUCI) president Charles George.