Minister: No change in Colachel port location

“The project will come up and will hugely benefit not only Kanyakumari district but the entire state,” he told DTNext. This follows reports that the port project was shifted to Enayam following a Spanish firm’s feasibility report. 

However, the minister was definite about Colachel due to its many advantages. It is already a natural harbour and is less than four nautical miles from international shipping lanes. No extra work is needed to berth mother ships which require minimum 18 metres draught to enter port as Colachel is 20 metres deep. 

The project estimated at Rs.20,628 crore is planned in three stages; the first stage costing Rs.6628 crore and the remaining two stages costing Rs.7000 crore each. The project would also ensure employment for locals, sources added. Currently lack of depth results in mother ships berthing at either Colombo or Singapore from where feeder ships move cargo to other ports. From the security point of view, Colachel would be ideal as Colombo port is Chinese built.  

Using Colachel would also save shipping companies money. However, one of the bugbears was agitations by the Kanyakumari fishermen federation which said the port would threaten the livelihood of nearly 25,000 fishers as oil spillage from ships and waste dumping would either kill or move fish shoals further. 

But Pon Radhakrishnan said, “once the port becomes operational, fishing communities would be the first to benefit.”   It is estimated that Colachel port will handle two million tonnes of cargo annually initially and scale up to eight million tonnes. 

Once estimates are drawn up, 500 metres of land will be reclaimed from the sea. Already talks have been held with the railways and road transport officials to lay 11 kilometres of roads needed for the project.