Round The Coast to start short sea shipping service next month in Kerala

KOCHI : Round The Coast Pvt Ltd will start a short sea container shipping service in mid-June June linking Cochin Port (Vallarpadam), Beypore and Azhikal in Kerala as it looks to promote green inter modal logistics solutions by minimising road journey and maximising rail and coastal movements.

Round The Coast is a new venture promoted by Mumbai based logistics conglomerate J M Baxi Group.

The Kerala short sea transport service named ‘Green Freight Corridor-2’ will be run with a 106 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) capacity ship, Mr. Kiran Nandre, Chief Executive Officer, Round The Coast told. Kollam port will be added to the network later.

The end-to-end service will use an optimum combination of coastal and train with the first and last mile connectivity managed with tractor trailers.

The company is waiting for lifting of lockdown restrictions to start the ‘Green Freight Corridor-1’, a container train service linking Daurai (Ajmer) in Rajasthan with Deendayal Port in Gujarat and for onward movement of containers by sea.

“The primary objective of Round The Coast is to provide intermodal logistics solutions that are economical, ecological and energy efficient to trade,” Nandre said.

The company plans to expand to other coastal states, based on viability, by connecting major ports with minor ports.

“Green logistics is the future of logistics,” Mr. Nandre added.

Source : The Hindu Business Line