The Hindu Business Line : Decks cleared for Dhamra port project

THE Dhamra Port project in Orissa, a joint venture of Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) and Tata Steel, has received all statutory approvals and clearances and construction work will commence in January next year.

At a press conference here on Thursday, the Chairman-cum-Managing Director of L&T, Mr A. M. Naik, and Managing Director of Tata Steel, Mr B. Muthuraman, said that the project would be implemented in two phases. It would be commissioned by mid-2008, they added. They were addressing newspersons soon after discussing the details of the Rs 2,000-crore project with the Chief Minister, Mr Naveen Patnaik.

The port will initially have a capacity of 12-15 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) for bulk cargo such as coking coal, coal and iron ore. It will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for mechanised loading and unloading systems, capable of handling high capacity, cape size vessels. The handling capacity is expected to be increased to 25 mtpa in the second phase.

In addition, the development of a clean cargo berth to handle finished steel and intermediaries has also been proposed. The project includes laying of a 65-km railway line connecting the existing broad gauge line at the district headquarter town of Bhadrak to the port at Dhamra. Land acquisition is in progress and the State Government has committed to hand over the land in time. It has already handed over land at the port area for construction.

Mr Naik and Mr Muthuraman said that major financial institutions and banks have expressed interest in lending for the project, which is to be implemented by Dhamra Port Company (DPC), a 50:50 joint venture of the two companies that was formed in October last year.

The financial closure process has already commenced and it is expected to be completed by December-end.

Mr Muthuraman added that a master plan is also being drawn up, envisaging the construction of 13 berths over 10 years. This will take the total port capacity to 80 mt, making Dhamra the largest port in the country.

The first phase will see the development of 700 metres of quay line to handle very large bulk carriers with a capacity of 180,000 deadweight tonnes. Apart from handling cargo from the plants of Tata Steel that are coming up in Orissa and Jharkhand, the port will also handle cargo of other companies, Mr Muthuraman said.

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Stories in this Section
SpiceJet to close $70-m FCCB issue in October

Govt opens technical bids for Delhi, Mumbai airports revamp

Decks cleared for Dhamra port project

CCEA okays JN port expansion project

Draft Maritime Policy draws flak from unions

SCR electric loco shed completes 10 years

On the recovery track

CCEA clears road project for N-E