Charting Deeper Waters: CoPA Plots a ₹560 Crore Maritime Leap

The Cochin Port Authority (CoPA) is gearing up for a massive infrastructure overhaul, proposing to deepen its shipping channel and basin from 14.5 meters to 16 meters. The ₹560.50 crore capital dredging proposal, currently awaiting approval from the Ministry of Ports and Shipping, is designed to welcome larger mainline container vessels and aggressively capture a bigger share of the transshipment and EXIM cargo market.

"The plan is to increase the depth of the channel and basin to 16m through capital dredging... Correspondingly, the operator of the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal (ICTT) will augment the terminal infrastructure with significant expansion of capacity," stated former CoPA Chairperson B Kasiviswanathan.

Scheduled for completion by 2028–29, the deeper channel is projected to skyrocket container traffic to 1.2 million TEUs by 2029–30 and 1.5 million TEUs by 2035–36.

Alongside maritime expansion, CoPA is diversifying with a ₹150 crore cruise terminal at Ernakulam Wharf’s Quay 8 and 9, complete with a 400-meter dock by 2029. Furthermore, the port will mechanize Mattancherry Wharf’s Quay 3 for liquid cargo, upgrade Quays 6 and 7 for cement and multi-commodity handling, and reimagine Willingdon Island as a modernized commercial, hospitality, and maritime hub.

News by Rahul Yelligetti.