The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Port Trust limping back to normality

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 28, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Port Trust limping back to normality

By Our Staff Reporter

The Union Minister for Shipping, T.R. Baalu, at the Chennai port on Monday with the captain of `Gem of Tuticorin,' which was damaged in Sunday's tsunami. — Photo: S.R. Raghunathan

CHENNAI, DEC. 27. A day after the tsunami brought in a wave of destruction, making it the worst affected major maritime facility on the east coast, the Chennai port today got down to assessing the damage and resuming shipping operations.

Briefing the Union Minister for Shipping, Road Transport and Highways, T.R. Baalu, who inspected the port and the neighbouring fishing harbour this morning, the Chennai Port Trust Chairman, K. Suresh, said: "We will launch the shipping operations tomorrow." The port would not levy demurrage charges on the ships for the waiting caused by the dislocation in the operations.

The port today resumed iron ore tippling operations, rail and land movement that involves taking the imports out and bringing-in the export cargo. The efforts, sources in shipping circles, however, said, met with limited success as the workforce, especially those engaged by private contractors, was apprehensive to return.

While Visakhapatnam port reported casualties after the tsunami hit, the damage to equipment and ships was severe on the Chennai port. It was the worst hit among the major ports on the east coast, Mr. Baalu said. He added that the monetary loss to the port could be more than Rs.10 crores.

Apart from the hoppers that were smashed to ground by ships without moorings, the devastating waves inundated the port, damaging among other goods cars meant for export. Hyundai, the car company, said 12 of the nearly 3,000 vehicles meant for export to Mexico, Columbia and Europe were badly damaged after hitting against each other. About 750 cars were loaded onto the ship when tsunami struck and according to the company 1,000 more are safe. A Hyundai team inspected the rest of the cars today.

Mr. Baalu directed the port officials to conduct a survey immediately to assess the draft, which is expected to have been distorted as a result of the sediments that tsunami brought along. "The officers have to work round-the-clock," he told Mr. Suresh, underlining the need to resume operations at the earliest to prevent congestion at the port.

The Minister, who spoke to the captain of Gem of Tuticorin, a raw sugar-laden vessel that suffered damage on Sunday, said the ship owners should take initiatives to make it "single voyage worthy" and then sail it out. "I am sorry ... but I do not want the wharf to be damaged," he said.

Urging the port administration to ensure that the entry channels were free of any obstructions, he suggested that the vessel that uses "the sound technology" to assess the draft should be pressed into service.

He also instructed the officials to get in touch with the State Government and enquire whether any relief materials needed to be shipped to Port Blair.

Such materials, the Minister added, could be sent on M.V. Swarajdeep that would set sail for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands if the conditions were conducive.

The Chairman and K. Elangovan, the Deputy Chairman, apprised the Minister of the situation at the port and said the management of the privatised container terminal had sought permission to restore operation.

At the Kasimedu fishing harbour, Mr. Baalu assured the fishermen that the port would extend all possible assistance in retrieving an estimated 100 boats that had sunk. "There was no need for any panic," he said.

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