The shipping ministry plans to give a big push to containerisation in India since the country?s rate of containerising cargo or making break bulk cargo amenable to containers is only 45% compared to the global average of more than 70%.

A shipping ministry official told FE that out of 12 major ports in the country only three?JNPT, Chennai and Kolkata?are leading container handlers. But of these three, only JNPT, with an average handling of 4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) per annum, figure among the top 25 container handling ports of the world.

While JNPT during April-January 2009-10 handled 3.34 million TEUs against 3.36 million TEUs in the corresponding period last fiscal, Kolkata handled 3.19 lakh TEUs in April-January 2009-10 against 2.55 lakh TEUs during the same period last fiscal. Chennai handled 1 million TEUs during the period April to January 2010 against 9 lakh TEUs during the same period last fiscal.

AK Majumdar, acting chairman of KoPT, said since the Kolkata Dock System (KDS) handles the major chunk of KoPT?s container cargo KoPT as a whole including KDS and Haldia Dock System handled 4.21 lakh TEUs during the period April to January 2009-2010 against 3.67 lakh TEUs during the same period last fiscal) and has registered a growth of 24.86% in container handling during April to January this fiscal, the ministry is examining the prospects of converting KDS into a fully container handling port.

In fact, a study conducted by the Indian Ports Association (IPA), the apex body of all ports, found that with sea traffic carrying 95% of exports in volume terms and 70% in value terms, India must keep pace with the global shipping trends.

A Frost and Sullivan assessment points out that India?s domestic and international containerized traffic is expected to reach 21million TEUs by 2014 from a level of 9.1 million TEUs in 2008.

India’s sea borne trade, according to IPA figures, was growing at over 25% compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) over the past five years with a larger share of trade going towards finished goods.

This actually called for more containerisation, which the Centre was currently looking at, the ministry official said. He said while the Centre was betting high on the upcoming Vallarpadam International Transhipment Terminal, Vizhinjam Terminal, and Mumbai Port Trust’s new offshore container terminal, it has its eye on the developments of minor ports namely Mundra and Pipavav.

Kolkata has started putting in place more technical systems for container handling and is in discussion with the shipping ministry for opening dialogues with the National Highway Authority of India for creating a dedicated corridor directly connecting KDS with NH6.

According to Majumdar, a lot more container cargo from North India would enter KDS if a proper road network is created to clear road congestion. KDS is nearer to the industrial regions of Uttar Pradesh than JNPT, which is heavily congested. KoPT could take advantage of that through more mechanization and clearing away road congestion, he added.