India@FDI Magazine

northern hinterland, India’s fastest growing region in terms of
container traffic.
The company also opened the Visakha Container Terminal
Pvt Ltd (VCTPL) in Visakhapatnam, a deep-water gateway
terminal on the east coast, in 2003. The container terminal
has superb rail and road connections to the hinterland, with
the unique advantage of being the only terminal on the east
coast with an on-dock rail facility.
Ideal hub port
VCTPL is an ideal hub port for Bangladesh and Kolkata/Haldia
cargo and presents a cost-effective solution to many Indian
importers and traders as it is able to offer superior transit
times to and from the burgeoning Far East markets.
In 2004 DP World won the concession to operate the Rajiv
Gandhi Container Terminal and to develop the International
Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam, near
Kochi in Kerala.
Cochin Port is located next to the east-west trade route,
only 11 nautical miles from the direct Middle East – Far
East sea-route. No other Indian port enjoys such a strategic
geographic proximity to the major maritime sea routes.
DP World Cochin serves as the natural gateway to the vast
industrial and agricultural produce markets. Improved road
and rail connectivity have substantially reduced the transit
time and logistics cost making the port a preferred gateway
for exports and imports.
Last month, the ICTT expanded its intermodal rail access,
allowing shippers in and around Bengaluru to load their
westbound cargo direct from Vallarpadam without the need
for transshipment via foreign hub ports, especially Colombo
in Sri Lanka, thereby reducing transit times by a minimum of
five to seven days.
The new dedicated train service between Bengaluru and
Kochi will reduce transit time and cost for businesses in
Karnataka. The routing of cargo through the west coast port
would reduce transit time by nearly a week for exporters.
The terminal has dramatically improved its productivity,
ensuring quicker turnaround of vessels.
DP World Chennai is strategically located on the
Coromandel Coast of southeast India and is well connected
with major parts of the world. The terminal is capable of
handling fifth generation vessels up to 6,400 TEU. With the
introduction of direct services to China, West Africa, Europe
and the US, DP World Chennai can service the full exportimport
trade in Chennai and its hinterland.
The company is also developing a greenfield container
terminal on the east bank of Hooghly, about 60 km south of
Kolkata.
The port sector in India is undergoing dramatic
transformation and the coming years will see the business
transform significantly. For DP World, which is growing rapidly
in the country, it promises to be a significant market.
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