Container service from Tuticorin Port to US, Spain launched

Chennai: A consortium of shipping lines has launched a new service to provide direct service between Tuticorin and the US East Coast. Also, for the first time, Tuticorin will be directly connected to the Mediterranean Port (Barcelona in Spain) through the service.


Called IDX, the regular weekly service will call at Tuticorin every Thursday. The first vessel Zim Mumbai called at the port on May 26 to unload 50 TEUs (twenty equivalent unit) and load 184 TEUs, according to a Tuticorin Port Trust press release. The consortium will be operated by ZIM Integrated Shipping Lines, Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), Emirates Shipping Lines (ESL) and MAC Andrews Company. Zim will operate three of the eight vessels while SCI and ESL will deploy two vessels each. MAC will deploy one vessel. The vessel sizes are 2,500-2,600 TEUs.


The port of rotation will be Colombo, Tuticorin, Nhava Sheva, Mundra, Barcelona, New York, Norfolk, Charleston, Barcelona and Colombo.


Tuticorin now becomes the only port in southern India to be directly connected with Europe and US coast, thereby reducing trans-shipment and additional handling costs at neighbouring foreign ports, the release says.


It may be recalled that Tuticorin had a direct container service to the US East Coast (INDAMEX) till November 2004, which was suspended due to operational reasons.


The new service will help exporters in the South, especially in Tirupur, Karur and Bangalore. The transit time will be 25 days to New York, 27 days to Norfolk, 29 days to Charleston and 16 days to Barcelona, the release said.