Chennai Intl terminal sets new productivity record for South and East India

The Dollar Business Bureau

Chennai International Terminals Pvt Ltd (CITPL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of PSA International Pte Ltd, set a new productivity record for container terminals in South and East India on 14 August 2016 when it achieved a vessel productivity rate of 169 moves per hour, by handling 1984 box moves in just under 12 hours for Bengal Tiger Line’s vessel ‘MV Euromax’.

Mike Formoso, Managing Director, PSA India, said “This record-breaking feat underscores the commitment of CITPL’s management and staff towards striving for ever higher performance levels. I would like to congratulate the CITPL team and thank our valued customers for their continued support and trust.

Speaking to the media Mike expressed his gratitude to the Chennai Port Trust for taking important steps to address infrastructure issues affecting container operations in the port such as widening of the internal roads and the provision of a temporary truck parking yard for CITPL users. These initiatives were carried out on top of the recent move to deepen the Ambedkar Basin to 15 metres, which allows the port to handle 8,000 TEU capacity vessels. It is hoped that with sustained momentum on these and other such measures, Chennai Port and port users will benefit even more from the burgeoning economy.

The Chairman in charge of the Chennai Port Trust, Cyril George said, “ Chennai Port Trust is doing everything possible to ensure that Chennai container volume continues to stay and grow within the port despite the competitive environment. The high service levels shown by CITPL and the various initiatives commenced by the Port Trust are concrete signs of our intention to retain status as the Number 1 port on the east coast of India.”

Also commenting on the milestone was Bill Smart, Managing Director of Bengal Tiger Line, “Quick turnaround of vessels is one of the key factors which determine a port of call for shipping lines as this translates directly to cost savings and the ability to maintain schedule integrity. We salute CITPL’s achievement but we also hope that Chennai Port Trust, whilst addressing the infrastructure issues, can also further reduce the overall port costs for container vessels to ensure Chennai remains competitive to shipping lines and its customers.”

PSA’s Chennai International Terminals Pvt Ltd (CITPL) in Chennai Port is ideally positioned to tap the high growth Chennai region, which is the hub for the Indian East Coast. The terminal is designed to accommodate and cater to the new generation of deep-draft container vessels. CITPL is the only terminal in Chennai to have an on-dock rail siding, thereby offering direct rail container movement to the customers from inside the terminal for seamless connections. It is suitably equipped to serve the growing rail container traffic generated by an ever growing hinterland.