V.O. Chidambaranar Port sets sight to establish Multimodal Logistics Park

 V.O. Chidambaranar Port, the economic engine of South Tamilnadu, has proposed for setting up of Multimodal Logistics Park due to its advantages such as excellent Rail-road connectivity, proximity to Main Sea Route, all weather operational conditions, and geographic position to link Eastern coast with the Western coast. The current landscapes of manufacturing hubs are located mainly in the secondary hinterland i.e., Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Salem, Erode, Pollachi, Karur, Rajapalayam, Madurai etc.

The Multimodal Logistics Park would facilitate infrastructure for enabling seamless multimodal freight transfer, and specialized storage solutions, such as cold storage, warehouses equipped with mechanized material handling and intermodal transfer terminals for containers, bulk and break-bulk cargo. Further, the MMLP would be offering value-added services such as Customs clearance, bonded storage yards, quarantine zones, testing facilities, warehousing management services, post-manufacturing activities such as kitting and final assembly, grading, sorting, labelling, packaging etc.

In order to select the optimal locations for setting up of logistics park, the Port has tentatively identified Coimbatore, Madurai and Tuticorin as the three potential locations for establishing the Multimodal Logistics Park  in an area of about 100 acres.

The Port is holding interactions with stakeholders at hinterland & industrial associations for the development of MMLP. Based on the preliminary inputs, Land parcel with road and rail connectivity will be identified and the proposal will be submitted to  the Government for approval.

Setting up of Multimodal Logistics Park would aid in reduction of logistics cost of EXIM cargo, reduction in pollution and congestion caused by cargo trucks movement and reduction in warehousing cost, driven by lower rentals in logistics parks situated outside the city limits.   

VOC Port offers a maximum draft of 14.20 Metres to accommodate bulk carriers upto 95,000 DWT and Container vessels upto LOA of 300 metres. The Port’s two container terminals, with the capacity to handle 1.17 Million TEUs of Containers are well supported by 17 Container Freight Stations & one ICD. The terminals facilitate daily connectivity to Colombo and reaching further to the Far East, through its weekly mainline services.

V.O. Chidambaranar Port, the fastest growing Port in Tamilnadu, is growing hand in hand, along with the growth of Indian economy. This has resulted in a significant rise in the volume of freight moved by road. In VOC Port, 76 % of cargo is transited by road, 20% by conveyor, and 2% by pipeline and rail. More than 3000 trucks ply through the Port road connectivity everyday to transit the EXIM cargo, that are seamlessly connected to Tirunelveli and beyond in the South, and Madurai to cater to the northern hinterland, through NH138 and NH38. The 595 Km. long East Coast Road also connects Chennai. The Port is well connected to the Indian Railway network through the Meelavittan – Madurai broad-gauge line. This enables faster and effective cargo transfer to Dindigul, Karur, Bengaluru, Coimbatore and Chennai regions.

The overall cargo handling through VOC Port is forecast to reach 125.68 Million Tonnes of Cargo by the year 2047-48 and the Port’s container traffic is forecast to reach 3.41 Million TEUs by the year 2047-48.