Kandla Port handle 35% more cargo in Dec '05

Ahmedabad: Kandla, one of the 12 major ports in the country, handled 42.74 lakh tonnes of cargo in December 2005, marking a 35 per cent increase compared to the corresponding month in 2004. The cargo throughput in one month was, in fact, the highest recorded by the port in its history and is higher than the 41.19 lakh tonnes handed by Kandla in May 2005.

The crude oil handled at the Vadinar SPM (single-point mooring) recorded a 74 per cent increase from 11.84 lakh tonnes in December 2004 to 20.60 lakh tonnes in December 2005 and the dry cargo at Kandla 22 per cent increase from 12.88 lakh tonnes to 15.70 lakh tonnes in the period under review.

Kandla has embarked on a Rs 5,081-crore expansion under the National Maritime Development Programme.

As part of the proposed development works, the port recently invited tenders for building four new dry cargo berths on a build-operate-transfer basis, said the Kandla Port Trust Chairman, Mr A. Janardhana Rao.

Among the ongoing projects, Mr Rao said that construction of the 12th cargo berth at Kandla will be completed by June 2006 and Essar Oil Ltd is expected to start handling crude for its upcoming Jamnagar refinery by August.

Kandla has started work on erection of three higher capacity cranes to take the number of Electric Level Luffing cranes at the port to 12.

The port is also contemplating to purchase six more cranes with much higher capacity, he said.