The Exim trade has voiced concern over the challenges currently being faced in moving containers between Kochi and Coimbatore due to the extremely poor condition of roads and the many detours due to overpass work on the national highway.
The travel time for empty and laden container trailers, which should normally take around four hours, is now exceeding 8 to 9 hours on a non-stop journey (one-way). This has led to significant delays in container movements, making it difficult to meet vessel cut-off times, said Dileep Abraham, general secretary of the Custom Broker & Shipping Agents Association.
Arriving back at Kochi with laden containers in time for customs procedures within working hours of Customs and escalating costs has prompted trailer operators to demand additional charges to cover extra fuel consumption and frequent vehicle repairs. Besides, operational disruptions that are directly impacting the competitiveness of Cochin Port and the trade at large, he said.
He sought the intervention of the authorities and immediate solutions as the situation is becoming unsustainable for exporters, importers and logistics providers relying on Kochi Port.
Prakash Iyer, chairman of Cochin Port Users Forum, said the delay is not only affecting truck operators but the shipping lines as well. Officers on duty struggle to manage the bunching of boxes at a time and sometimes face nil movement due to irregular traffic systems. Trailer operators and their crews are facing tremendous pressure to deliver shipments on time.
S.P. Kamath, president of the Cochin Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a letter to the National Highway authorities, said that the present issues have now reached unsustainable levels, hitting the trade community, port operations, and the livelihoods dependent on this corridor.
The road works that commenced in February 2025 were expected to be completed within two months, as per engineering estimates. However, more than seven months have now passed with negligible progress, and most flyover works from Palakkad to Kochi (over 10 sites) remain stalled midway.
The prolonged transit time is escalating logistics costs, as trailer operators demand higher charges for fuel and maintenance. This is making Cochin Port less competitive, causing cargo to divert to neighbouring ports, he said, adding that higher per-TEU costs and delays in meeting vessel cut-off times are eroding the competitiveness of exporters, importers, and logistics providers.
The Chamber requested the authorities to widen and properly tar service roads to allow smooth container and cargo movement; prioritisation of container movement corridors to safeguard the trade, etc.
