The Board of Trustees of the Cochin Port Trust have decided to make vessel-related charges at the International Container Transhipment Terminal (ICTT) at Vallarpadam competitive, in line with the charges at other transhipment ports in the South and South-east Asian region, the Hindu reported.

The soft launch of the terminal is set for July.

The Tariff Authority for Major Ports (TAMP), which regulates all rates at 11 Union government-owned ports, had recently increased the vessel-related charges of the Cochin Port Trust by 40 percent on the average when compared to the pre-revised scale of rates. The tariff hike had affected Kochi port by making it uncompetitive with respect to its neighbouring transhipment ports.