The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Quay cranes brought to Vallarpadam berth

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 22, 2010
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Kerala

Kerala - Kochi

Quay cranes brought to Vallarpadam berth

Staff Reporter

Dredging only major task before terminal's commissioning

— Photo: Vipin Chandran

The four ship-to-shore cranes berthed at the Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal on Wednesday.

KOCHI: Zhen Hua 10, the Chinese barge carrying the four ship-to-shore cranes meant for the International Container Transhipment Terminal, was shifted to the Vallarpadam berth on Wednesday after nearly a week of waiting at the Ernakulam wharf of the Cochin Port Trust.

The new cranes are capable of lifting two 20-foot containers at a time and will serve the terminal's 600-metre quay and 40 hectares of yard.

Hard patch in seabed

The barge carrying the cranes was brought close to the Vallarpadam terminal on July 15 but it could not be berthed because of a hard patch on the seabed that needed to be dredged out.

The ship was then shifted to the Ernakulam wharf.

The barge carrying the cranes had arrived in the outer anchorage on June 24 and its berthing at the terminal brings the commissioning of the ICTT closer to reality with only dredging remaining a major task to be completed.

Cochin Port Trust authorities said that the unexpected physical obstruction in the ICTT basin had affected the dredging operations, which the port trust took over in May.

The port trust had engaged a private company for the capital dredging operations and widening of the channel.

More than 90 per cent of the overall capital dredging work on the basin has been completed.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala