OREANDA-NEWS. March 10, 2015. The main measures taken by the Government to promote development of transhipment hub in India and avoid dependence of Indian EXIM cargo on foreign transhipment terminals are:

i) Relaxation of cabotage restrictions was granted to the International Container Transit Terminal (ICTT), Vallarpadam of Cochin Port Trust on 21 September, 2012 initially for a period of three years.

ii) The Government of India has exempted Customs and Excise Duty leviable on specified bunker fuels used in Indian flag vessels for transportation of EXIM and empty containers between two or more ports in India.

As per available information, during the year 2012-13, from major ports of India, 72.6% of the containers were transported to their destination and 27.4% of the containers were transhipped through Colombo, Singapore and other international ports. The shipping lines decide to use a port for transhipment depending upon several factors such as availability of vessels, availability of cargo for onward journey, cost of transhipment at the port, convenient geographical location of the port, access to major trading center etc.,

This information was given by Minister of State for Ministry of Shipping Shri Pon Radhakrishnan in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.