Author: Kumar Chellappan
Publication: Deccan Chronicle
Date: March 24, 2008
Expert committee claims ships will save time,
not money "If these charges are taken into account the channel will not
at all be a profitable proposition. Besides it has its risks in navigating
in shallow waters of 12 metres," said Capt Balakrishnan.
The Committee of Eminent Persons constituted
by the government of India to go into various questions raised with respect
to the Sethusamudram Shipping Channel Project (SSCP) has admitted, albeit
indirectly, that it would not be profitable for international cargo liners
to operate their ships in the channel.
The committee in its report, a copy of which
is available with this newspaper, has claimed that a trip from Aden to Chennai
through the SSCP would enable the ships to save 335 nautical miles. Though
the ships would be able to save 19 hours if they use the SSCP, in real terms
they will be saving only 17 hours, according to navigators and marine specialists.
"They have to take into account the embarkation and disembarkation time
for sailing through the SSCP. This needs at least two hours," said Captain
Hariharan Balakrishnan, a veteran navigator.
Based on the findings of the committee, Capt
Balakrishnan has worked out the expenses to be incurred by the ships for circumnavigating
Sri Lanka and for sailing through SSCP. "A ship may save Rs 4,22,521
in its fuel bill if it uses the SSCP," said Captain Balakrishnan. But
he pointed out that the SSCP authorities were silent on the tariff to be levied
from the shippers and other operational expenses. "If these charges are
taken into account the channel will not at all be a profitable proposition.
Besides it has its risks in navigating in shallow waters of 12 metres,"
said Capt Balakrishnan.
The committee's observation that the number
of vessels with 30,000 Dead Weight Tonnage (DWTtotal carrying capacity of
a ship) were on the increase for the last 20 years has also drawn flak from
navigators and shipping experts.
"This is complete nonsense. All ship
owners prefer bulk carriers, oil tankers and big vessels of 75,000 DWT and
above. With the increase in global trading, the shipping industry itself is
facing a boom and big ships are the order of the day," said a senior
shipping executive of the government of India.
The officer who did not want to be named said
that the global trend is towards big ships with major carrying capacity.
Captain Neel. J. Nair, director, ABS Marine
Services Pvt Ltd, marine managers with global network, said that only small
ships operating in the Cochin-Chennai stretch may opt for the SSCP route.
"It has to be economical like Suez or Panama Channels. We are saving
20,000 km by opting for the Panama Channel route. How can you compare SSCP
with Panama and Suez," asked Capt Nair. He said unless and otherwise
the SSCP management heavily subsidizes the route by slashing the user's tariff,
no mariner worth his salt would opt for this route. Captain Balakrishnan added:
"If the Sethusamudram Corporation subsidises vessel tariffs, then it
will become a sick unit from the start, and the taxpayers' money would have
been wasted."
