Kochi: India Gateway Terminal Ltd, the Indian arm of the Dubai-based DP World operating the international transhipment terminal at Vallarpadam in Kochi, has sought a nearly 7 per cent increase in container service charges. The company has approached the Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP) in this regard.
Business and trade houses in Kochi and other parts of the state have expressed their opposition to the move by the terminal operator. “The current move will reverse all good work done to date. The revision, if implemented, will only serve to further deplete the cargo handled by the port,” C. S. Kartha, president of the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said on Friday.
Industry sources said that India Gateway Terminal has taken advantage of the five-year revision of charges due for the Cochin Port Trust. Mr Kartha said the terminal operator should not use it as an opportunity to further increase that rate, hitting the prospects of the export-import community in the region.
The international container transhipment terminal at Vallarapdam has not been able to function to its potential to date despite several relaxations being given to it, he said. “The need of the hour is to attract cargo to the terminal and for this they should be thinking of a reduction in tariffs rather than an increase,” Mr Kartha said.
