India to Establish New Multi Modal Terminal in Varanasi
Indian Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari has layed the foundation stone for a multi-modal terminal at Varanasi. The phase-I of the multi-modal terminal will be built by AFCONS Infrastructure at an estimated cost of Rs.170 crore and is slated to completed by August 2018. “The terminal will have road and rail connectivity with proposed links on NH-7 and Jeonathpur railway station respectively,” the Union Shipping Ministry said in a statement. The cargo handling capacity of the Terminal on completion of Phase 1 is estimated to be 1.2 million metric tonnes per annum (MTPA). The cargo that will be handled at the Terminal includes stone chips, cement, food grains, fertilisers, sugar etc.
India Relaxes Cabotage for Special Vessels
Vessel operators can now be allowed to bring foreign flagged vessels on the coastal routes as the Indian Government has decided to relax cabotage for special vessels. Special vessels like Roll-On Roll-Off (Ro-Ro), Hybrid Roll-On Roll-Off (Hybrid Ro-Ro), Roll-On Roll-Off cum Passenger (Ro-Pax), Pure Car Carriers, Pure Car and Truck Carriers, LNG vessels and Over-Dimensional cargo or Project Cargo Carriers have been relaxed cabotage for a period of five years, a Ministry statement said. The development comes in the wake of long standing demand of the shipping industry for relaxation of the cabotage law. Cabotage is transport of goods between two points in the same country.
