It can also act as a submarine penn. It would be able to hold subs as well.
And the Western and Eastern Fleet unification time would be reduced by atleast 50%
That s exactly my point. Here are some more benefits.
Economic Benefits
The canal is slated to reduce the transit time between the west and east coast of India by 24 hours on an average. Currently, ships plying between the west and east coast have to circumnavigate Sri Lanka. Thus, the canal helps in reducing the transit distance by 335.3 nautical miles on an average. Ships using the canal will save around one day of transit time and fuel costs.
The canal, once completed,
is expected to bring huge revenues to the Union and State Governments and transform the regional economy. The Government is investing heavily in the major ports of Chennai and Tuticorin and upgrading existing infrastructure anticipating increased traffic once the canal is completed. It is also developing 13 minor ports, including Ennore, Cuddalore, Nagapattinam, Thondi, Valinokam, Kolachel and Kanyakumari. This will lead to an overall improvement in infrastructure of the State and thus bolster international and domestic maritime trade and bring in greater foreign investment.
There will be a great boost to local industries as export costs will be reduced.
The canal is also expected to benefit the fisheries industry of the state as fishing boats will be able to navigate through the Palk Strait which is not possible now. The State Government is building many fishing harbors along the coastline.
The canal is near the East-West International sea-route, one of the busiest navigation routes in the world. Ships sailing between the mid-east and Japan and China now pass between the Maldivian islands, circle the Sri Lankan coastline and then turn north east and sail through the Malacca straits. The canal would create a by-pass and thus divert the huge traffic of ships through Indias own waters. The revenue generated from the toll paid by these ships will be enormous and contribute greatly to the countrys revenue. The Tuticorin Port will become a major nodal port, similar to Colombo or Singapore.
Security and Strategic Benefits
Till recently, the Government largely ignored security of Indias naval waters due to lack of funds and persistent problems in the mainland. However, there is an increasing emphasis being given on controlling the waters of the Indian Ocean by the defense planners in New Delhi. This is largely due to reactionary thinking prompted by two major events : The acquisition of Diego Garcia by the US as a naval base in the Indian Ocean and the commissioning of an aircraft carrier by the US as a show of support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh War. Since the fall of the USSR, India could no longer rely on Soviet support in case of a showdown with US. Thus there was an urgent need to secure and control the countrys waters.
The canal, along with planned forward bases in the Lakshadweep and Andaman islands, will play a key role in Indias plans to dominate the waters of the Indian Ocean. The canal helps by saving transit time between the west and east coasts and allows for easier and more secretive patrolling of the waters by the Navy.
The canal will also help negate the growing Chinese influence among South and South East Asian countries, most importantly, Sri Lanka. China, since the 1980s, has begun an ambitious project to build a series of naval bases extending from mid-east to its own coast in order to ensure its energy security. This project is popularly known as The String of Pearls. This involves building of forward bases and docks for Chinese ships in Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand and Cambodia. The first of these forward bases is the port of Gwadar in Pakistan.
The port is located at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in the mouth of the strategically important Straits of Hormuz and right in Indias backyard. Chinese efforts to gain access to the Trincomalee port in Sri Lanka was thwarted due to Indian pressure on Colombo. The canal will allow India to guard its waters much more effectively, reduce Chinese influence in the region and give India a strategic leverage over China.
The canal will lead to a much greater and more effective Indian presence in the surrounding waters including around the crucial Straits of Malacca. The Government has invested heavily in building a forward marine command and developing a port in the Andaman and Nicobar anticipating the increase in maritime traffic in the region. The forward base will allow it to gain control over the Straits of Malacca. Over 80% of Japans oil needs and 60% of Chinas is sourced through these straits. Thus, the building of the canal and the base in the Andaman and Nicobar islands will give India huge strategic muscle against China, Japan and the entire international community.
Finally, the increased security along the canal will help control the growing influence of the LTTEs naval arm, the Sea Tigers, in the coast between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka and prevent any Sri Lankan Tamil nationalist elements from spreading their influence in Tamil Nadu. It would also provide cover for fishing boats from Tamil Nadu against attacks by the fast attack crafts of the Sea Tigers.
Singapore and Sethusamudram
The Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) has leased out Berth 7 in the Tuticorin Port for 30 years and is operating it since 1999. There are plans to increase PSAs investment in Tuticorin once the canal is completed. With the anticipated increase in traffic in the Tuticorin Port, the cooperation between PSA and TPT could prove mutually beneficial to both countries.
The canal could also host the ships plying the East-West International Sea Route which then touches Singapore in the Straits of Malacca. If this does indeed happen, Singapore and India could work together to coordinate the flow of traffic through the route and provide better service to these ships. Joint patrolling of the waters could also be taken up. This will reduce the threat of piracy that currently infests the waters around the Straits of Malacca.
The canal will facilitate easier movement of Indian naval ships. With India bolstering its military presence in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, the threat of India blockading the mouth of the Straits of Malacca becomes even greater to Singapore and other countries that rely on the east-west sea route.
India has major plans to build a port in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, near the mouth of the Straits of Malacca. If the port can offer good berthing facilities and provide services at low costs, there is a chance that ships might forsake berthing at Singapore or other Malaysian ports.
The proposed port in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands assumes greater significance when viewed in the light of the Thai Canal. Thailand is very serious about building a canal through the southern part of the country, connecting Bandon Bay with Phangnga. Thailand can look forward to Chinese funding for the project as the canal would be another pearl in the String of Pearls strategy, reducing Chinas dependence on other western oriented countries for its energy security. If completed, the Thai Canal along with the Sethusamudram Canal would alter the current East West International Sea Route and completely obliterate the need for ships to sail through the Straits of Malacca. This would prove completely disastrous to the economy of Singapore which is essentially dependant on its port.
Sri Lanka and Sethusamudram
The canal has raised a lot of concern in Sri Lanka. There were fears initially that the construction of the canal would cause some of the islands of Sri Lanka to submerge. Scientists, however, believe that there will be no significant geophysical changes caused due to the canal.
The maritime traffic around the southern Sri Lankan coastline is slated to reduce drastically once the canal is completed. It is estimated that Sri Lanka may lose up to 50% of its revenue from ports, including Colombo, due to the canal. Many suggest that the canal will seriously jeopardize the good relations between New Delhi and Colombo.
The proximity of the canal to LTTE controlled Northern Sri Lanka and Jaffna is another factor that cannot be ignored. Nobody really knows how this will affect either party, but both are equally anxious and suspicious.