Chennai Port Trust plans mega terminal

CHENNAI: The Chennai Port Trust is setting up a megaterminal for container handling at an estimated cost of Rs 3,050 crore. The terminal would be the first deep water terminal of its kind in India and would be able to handle ultra-large container ships of 13,000-15,000 TEUS capacity and length exceeding 400 metres, the port trust said in a press release.

The terminal will have an along-side depth of 18 metres, continuous quay length of 2 km and a backup area of about 100 hectares. The two new breakwaters for a total length of about 4 km — one as extension of the existing outer arm and the other extending from the fishing harbour breakwater — will provide a basin area of about 300 hectares.

The channel has a depth of 19 metres and the basin will be dredged to 18 metres. The dredged material will be used for reclaiming the required backup area. Also, the proposed breakwater extending from the outer arm could be utilised as a deep drafted oil berth for handling very large crude carriers.