The Hindu Business Line : MRPL cargo lifts New Mangalore Port throughput

During 2003-04, the port handled 10.17 million tonnes of POL crude and 6.24 million tonnes of POL products for MRPL. The total traffic throughput of the port during the period was 26.67 million tonnes.

The Chairman (in-charge) of New Mangalore Port Trust (NMPT), Mr G.J. Rao, told presspersons here on Friday that MRPL is interested in setting up an LNG terminal at the port and the talks are in the advanced stage. The proposed terminal could bring additional five million tonnes of cargo to the port.

He said that the port handled 11.20 lakh tonnes of POL crude for MRPL in October 2003 surpassing the earlier record of 10.09 lakh tonnes handled during August 2003.

Stating that Mangalore Chemicals and Fertilizers (MCF) Ltd is planning to set up a metallurgical coke manufacturing unit in Mangalore, he said that the unit is likely to bring 0.5 million tonnes of cargo by 2005 and 1.3 million tonnes by 2007. Even the Nagarjuna Power Corporation Ltd wants to set up its unit in Mangalore by 2007, he said.

The barge-mounted power plant at Tannirbavi, which is using naptha for power production, wants to import 0.5 million tonnes of LNG. It wants the port to provide landing facility for its cargo. Mr Rao said that the port would provide waterfront and land facility to its users.