VOCPT Container Volumes Rise 8.2 Per cent in FY20 to 804,584 TEUs

Dakshin Bharat Gateway Terminal Pvt Ltd (DBGT) posted a 40 per cent growth in volumes in FY20, helping the Central government-owned VO Chidambaranar Port Trust (VOCPT), located in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district, handle 804,584 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) during the fiscal year that ended March 31.

Whereas, in FY19, VOCPT had handled 738,386 TEUs.

In FY20, of the 804,584 TEUs handled at VOCPT, DBGT handled 634,112 TEUs compared from 386,376 TEUs in previous year witnessing a growth of about 40 per cent and accounting for about 79 per cent of the overall VOCPT container volumes.

DBGT is among the two container terminals operating at VOCPT and is a unit of India Ports and Logistics Pvt Ltd.

Star Ports Ltd, a unit of Mumbai-listed Starlog Enterprises Ltd (earlier known as ABG Infralogistics Ltd), along with Bollore Africa Logistics holds 51 per cent stake in India Ports and Logistics. Bollore Africa is Africa’s biggest transport and logistics operator.

The container terminal run by DBGT has a capacity to load 750,000 TEUs a year.

In comparison, PSA Sical Terminals Ltd, the container terminal operating at VOCPT since 1998, handled 170,472 TEUs in FY20, down from 352,010 TEUs the previous fiscal. PSA-Sical is contractually mandated to handle a minimum guaranteed throughput (MGT) of 300,000 TEUs in a year. About 51 per cent of the terminal is owned by PSA International Pte Ltd, the world’s biggest container terminal operator and a unit of Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd, the sovereign wealth fund of Singapore.

According to some trade sources, due to deeper draft of 12.8 metres and twin-lift cranes that permit it to allow bigger ships to visit leading to the shift of most of the export-import container business at VOCPT to DBGT.

With a draft of 10.7 metres, PSA Sical now handles only ships that ferry containers between two Indian ports.

Source: IBEF

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