Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurates coastal shipping service from Cochin Port

• Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the loading operation on the maiden voyage of coastal shipping service — “Green Freight Corridor-2” — from Cochin Port to Beypore and Azhikkal ports.

• The service is part of steps by the ministry of ports, shipping and waterways to build greater synergies between major ports and non-major ports in order to promote coastal trade and to provide sustainable, cost-effective and efficient intermodal & multimodal customer solutions. 

• It aims to provide seaborne connectivity to the trade and industries in the hinterland, reduce congestion on the road and rail besides bringing down logistics cost.

• Green Freight Corridor Service is operated by Round The Coast Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, a JM Baxi Group Company. 

• This service will connect Kochi-Beypore-Azhikkal, and later Kollam port will be added to the service. The vessel will call at Cochin Port twice a week.

• The commodities that would be shipped would include rice, wheat, salt, construction material, cement, etc unloaded at Cochin from Gujarat. Imported Cashew containers would also be moved from Cochin to Kollam at a later stage.

• In order to promote coastal shipping of containers, Cochin Port is offering a 50 per cent rebate in vessel related charges for the river sea vessels. 

• This service is expected to bring about a marked modal shift of transportation of containers and ease the congestion on the road and reduce carbon footprint.

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