Kandla Port to get 4 dry cargo berths

Kolkata: Kandla port, which has emerged as the country’s number one cargo-handling port with a traffic throughput of 64.89 million tonnes (mt) in 2007-08, hopes to cross 100 mt mark by 2012, according to port sources.

This, as the sources point out, should be possible because of the additional infrastructure being created in the port. Four dry cargo berths — 13 14,15 and 16 — with an aggregate capacity of 8 mt to handle vessels requiring drafts up to 14 metres, are being built on a build-operate-transfer basis at a cost of about Rs 440 crore and these should be ready for operation by the end of 2010.

The construction of two additional cargo berths — 16 and 18 — is on the anvil to handle vessels of 75,000 dwt and 90,000 displacement. There is a proposal to have one additional oil jetty constructed by a private firm, mainly to handle petroleum products, at Vadinar.

offshore berths:

Offshore berthing facilities, with capacity totalling 20 mt of multifarious products, will be developed at a cost of about Rs 1,200 crore at satellite port Tuna in two phases for handling Panamax/post Panamax vessels requiring draft of 15 metres. In all, there will be four offshore berths scheduled to be commissioned by end 2010.

There is a further proposal to develop bunkering facilities on a build-operate-transfer basis for which an in-house report has already been prepared and a Special Economic Zone where a container transshipment terminal, LNG terminal, wood products terminal and ship repair facilities are due to come up.

Broad gauge line:

The port authorities are also planning to lay an additional broad gauge line from Gandhidham to Kandla to provide better connectivity to the port project and deepen navigation channels and its approaches to facilitate hassle-free movement of large-size vessels to and from the port.

Under the National Maritime Development Programme, Kandla port proposes to spend more than invest Rs 5,000 crore, to be funded through a combination of budgetary support, internal resources and private participation, the sources add.