Chennai Port's congestion has reduced considerably

CHENNAI : A two year systematic study of the Congestion in Chennai Port by a Japanese agency has made a startling revelation that the problem has dramatically reduced by over fifty per cent in the last two years taking into account a sharp fall in the time taken by a tractor trailer loaded with container movement from Container freight station to the Chennai Port’s Main gate.

The time taken to cover the distance about 40 kilometers was around 40 hours in 2014, 14 and a half hour in the beginning of 2016. On June first, the time taken was drastically reduced 7.29 hours, the study maintained.

The information was revealed at the Steering Committee meeting held on June 7 where besides the members from Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) , Chennai Port Chairman Cyril C George, representatives of Customs, Tamil Nadu Traffic Police, CISF, CONCOR, DP World terminal, Chennai Custom House Agents Association, Chennai steamer agents association and Port officials attended the meeting. The finding of the Japanese agency was discussed threadbare at the steering committee meeting.

The continuous efforts taken by Chennai Port in tackling congestion has been reflected in the ease in movement of vehicles to Chennai Port in the past few months. The roads leading to the Port have been relatively free of congestion and on many days the trailers were driven straight to the port from Manali or Ermavur junction without any stoppage.

The JICA study highlighted the joint efforts like Joint task force and laning and regulation of container traffic inside the port have yielded good results.

Chairman Cyril C George said the achievement was possible due to coordinated efforts of all the stakeholders. If we can achieve this significant result on June 1, we can surely achieve the same or even better results each day targeting zero congestion in the near future.

He pleaded for continued coordination between various Governmental agencies, Tamil Nadu Police in sorting out issues. The representatives of stakeholders who spoke at the meeting appreciated the efforts and pledged to support the Port’s initiatives to improve the overall efficiency of the Port.

Source: - Dailyshippingtimes.com