Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal

Inauguration of Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal will be conducted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 11th February 2011 at 10 a.m.

Vallarpadam ICTT will help India become independent in the container transhipment which is most important in the International Export Import business.

With the opening of Vallarpadam terminal India will save huge amount in the transhipment charges.

The Project cost of Vallarpadam terminal was about Rs 3,200 crore.

India has been depending on other terminals in places like Singapore, Colombo, Salalah till now.

It will also make the International Container Transhipment more faster.

The Cochin Port Trust will be performing the shipping services. Dubai Ports World will be taking the task of container operations.

These two agencies will be working based on revenue sharing agreement made by them.

One of the notable persons behind this achievement was Dr N.Ramachandran who was the Chairman of Cochin Port.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, laid the foundation stone for Vallarpadam terminal in 2005 January and after 6 years it will be commissioned and inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on February 2011.

The Vallarpadam International Container Transhipment Terminal has 600 m long quay with a depth of 15 m.

This Transhipment Terminal can handle about 5.5 million large container vessels every year.

In the first years of operation the transhipment capacity will be 1 million only.

Later this capacity will get increased to 5.5 million when the facility is fully functional.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) will be guarding the International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadam in Cochin.

Armed security wing will be deployed by the CISF to handle any problems arising from terrorists or other such unexpected attacks to the Vallarpadam terminal.

The CISF unit at Vallarpadam Transshipment Terminal will be under Commandant D.Shyamala.

Vallarpadam is famous with presence of the Church of Our Lady of Ransom.

It is the situated close to the Vembanad Lake and is siad to be built in 1524 by Portuguese.

Vallarpadam church is the centre of hundreds of Miracles and a great pilgrim place for people all over the world from 1951.

In 1888 Pope Leo the XIII had given special status to Vallarpadam Church recognising the presence of Lord Mary at this place.

So with the presence of this church , Vallarpadam was known to most people and with the beginning of Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal , this pilgrim centre will be world famous.

It is a local belief that new ships or boats should be blessed at Vallarpadam Church and the Vallarpadathamma saves people traveling in lake or sea at this place.