VOC Port Authority has set aside 90,000 square metres of space to store containers amid the ongoing West Asia crisis, the port chairman Susanta Kumar Purohit said on Thursday. He said the additional area was arranged for shipping lines so they could keep containers safely beyond prescribed time limits. The remarks were made on the sidelines of a PHDCCI conference on shipbuilding and ship recycling.

He said the land remains unutilised at present as port operations and business have not been affected. The authority has informed terminal operators and shipping lines and is in constant touch with the Ministry of Shipping to manage potential container diversions. The arrangement is intended to provide temporary relief to shipping lines while normal schedules continue.

Purohit described government efforts to develop India as a hub for shipbuilding and ship recycling and said the policy push would conserve resources and increase availability of raw materials for construction of vessels. He indicated expectations of nine to 10 per cent year-on-year growth in container traffic at VOC Port. The measure of additional storage was presented as a contingency to support that anticipated expansion and to strengthen supply chain resilience.

VO Chidambaranar Port, commonly known as VOC Port, is a major port located at Tuticorin in southern Tamil Nadu and has an annual cargo handling capacity of 82 million tonnes per annum (82 mn tpa). It is one of the oldest operational ports with trade links dating back to 123 AD and serves as a significant southern gateway for maritime commerce. The port authority said the extra land allocation should ease pressure on berths and yards if container diversions increase.