The Container Corporation of India Ltd (CONCOR), a Navratna PSU under the Ministry of Railways, forayed into coastal shipping, with weekly services from Deendayal Port (Kandla) to VOC Port (Tuticorin) via New Mangalore Port and Cochin Port, in the first month of this calendar year. CONCOR has consistently maintained its weekly schedule with two dedicated vessels as promised, even if partially loaded many a time. These and other aspects of its coastal shipping operations were highlighted by Mr P. K. Agrawal, Director (Domestic), Mr Ravi Kumar, Executive Director (Distribution, Logistics & Coastal), and Mr Madhukar Roat, CGM/NWR, while addressing customers and their business associates here last week.
Mr Roat asked customers to take maximum advantage of this interface opportunity to get their voice heard by CONCOR’s top management. Mr Agrawal said CONCOR will continue to maintain its commitment towards service levels and is even willing to take it to the next level, for which it seeks suggestions from customers regarding areas of improvement and the strategic actions needed.
Mr Agrawal announced that CONCOR will soon be commencing coastal movement on the east coast and to Bangladesh, to cater to the traffic from west to east.
He called on customers to explore the possibility of loading heavy duty containers to carry 31 metric tonnes of cargo, which will reduce their per tonne cost.
The occasion also saw the CONCOR management team answer queries from customers. Mr Ravi Kumar gave an update on the ground realities regarding coastal shipping operations. He also talked about the expected service levels, acceptable cost and commitments from customers to call a particular port in demand.
CONCOR has been the leader in the rail movement of containers with its 83 container terminals across the country, 330 own rakes running between the ports and hinterland, besides plying 30,000 containers across multiple domestic business streams, said a release.
