Repaying the SCP capital investment cost at 10 per cent per annum interest over 25 years, would need approximately Rs 203 crore per year. It is expected that 3417 ships will use SCP in 2010 and 7141 in 2025. Considering the annual coal requirement of the 1050 MW Tuticorin Thermal Power Plant, only 215 ships of 30,000 DWT are needed. In addition another 200 ships would bring petroleum products. The total number of ships annually is not likely to exceed a thousand in any case. This number can increase if the Tuticorin Port develops dramatically.

As of now, the expected shipping may not amortise the cost of SCP (including maintenance, regular dredging costs, costs of pilots, tugs, support vessels, communication and radar infrastructure), leave alone earn profits. Who then will use the SCP, even if we ‘overlook’ the LTTE Sea Tiger threat next door, the ever-present problem of cyclones (between 1891-2001, according to the Met Department, 64 cyclones crossed the TN coast, with 23 crossing the SSCP area), piracy, smuggling, marine pollution, fights over fishing rights, gun and drug running mafia operations, tsunami and so on?

There are some benefits too that need to be considered. For one, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard would be quickly able to deploy/redeploy some of their assets (ie, low draught ships of 100 to 3,000 tonnes) from one coast to the other or from the Palk Bay to the Gulf of Mannar and vice versa. Embarking pilots is not mandatory for these ships. Also, it would facilitate the movement of genuine low draught coastal ships, OSVs & MSVs of 1000-2000 tonnes, which provide logistic support to oil rigs off both the coasts; and mechanised fishing trawlers could change coasts and fishing grounds relatively faster.

... contd.