The port of Chennai is reported to be developing a vehicle storage facility with capacity for 4,000 vehicles at the defunct iron ore terminal at Bharathi Dock II. It will be operated by a private developer on a 10-year lease following the completion of a tender process for the development.
The terminal will have a yard space of around 10 hectares. The estimated cost of the project to develop the parking yard for export and import vehicles will be Rs 30 crore ($4.8m), which will be invested by the developer.
Chennai port has never had a dedicated ro-ro terminal and has always shared space with project cargo. This is despite the substantial export volumes the port handles, mainly from Hyundai Motor, which exports 200,000 vehicles a year through the port.
The terminal stopped handling iron ore and coal in October 2011 and, to offset the losses from the trade, has redeveloped the facility to handle vehicles following a detailed study of alternative cargo types.
