Government relaxes cabotage norms for DP World’s Vallarpadam terminal
21 Dec 2012
The government has relaxed cabotage norms for transshipment of containers at the International Container Transshipment Terminal at Vallarpadam, with a stipulation that security procedures are adhered to.
''Cabotage restrictions for transshipment of export-import containers at the Vallarpadam International Container Transshipment Terminal may be relaxed subject to certain conditions, including 100 per cent radiological scanning of containers,'' the order issued by the shipping ministry today said.
The order also requires compliance with applicable regulations of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code and extant Government of India instructions.
The Vallarpadam Terminal is under level II of the Code with its security entrusted with the armed constabulary of the Central Industrial Security Force.
A meeting of the revenue secretary and the shipping secretary had, on 11 December, decided that the customs will procure, install and operate X-ray scanners for the terminal, officials sources said.
Officials at the terminal, however, said transshipment operations leveraging cabotage exemption are likely to begin immediately with inbound containers complying with the security procedures at the destination ports at the Code level adopted there.
